Low-noise Imaging System with CMOS Sensor for High-Quality Imaging

Image sensors are widely used in the high-volume markets of digital still cameras and camcorders. In recent years, mobile phones with cameras have employed CMOS image sensors because of their low power consumption and single power supply. Initially, CMOS image sensors were inexpensive and provided poor imaging performance. However, more recently, some CMOS image sensors have achieved high-quality imaging performance comparable to that of the CCD. The present paper reviews the challenges of image sensor development over the last few decades and discusses the technology and design architecture for low-noise mega-pixel CMOS image sensors