6.2 133Mpixel 60fps CMOS image sensor with 32-column shared high-speed column-parallel SAR ADCs

To realize next-generation highly realistic sensation broadcasting systems, the research and development of 8K ultrahigh-definition television (UHDTV) systems have been promoted. To realize 8K video cameras, 33Mpixel sensors [1-2] and a full-resolution camera system that uses three 33Mpixel sensors [3] have been reported. However, the weight of the camera with three sensors is over 40kg because the camera requires a large-format color-separation prism. To reduce the size of the camera, single-chip imaging is a promising approach, and a compact single-chip 8K camera that weighs only 2kg has already been developed using a color 33Mpixel CMOS image sensor [4]. However, a conventional single-chip camera has a lower image quality than a full-resolution camera because the total pixel count of the single-sensor camera is only one-third of that of the three-sensor camera, and pixel interpolation is required to configure a full-resolution image. In this paper, a 133Mpixel sensor that can be operated at 60fps to realize a full-resolution 8K single-chip camera is described. To achieve both high speed and suitable ADC resolution, 32-column multiplexing analog readout circuitry and 14b high-speed redundant successive approximation register (SAR) ADCs [5] are adopted. As a result, a full-size image with a data rate of 128.71Gb/s at 60fps has been captured.

To realize next-generation highly realistic sensation broadcasting systems, the research and development of 8K ultrahigh-definition television (UHDTV) systems have been promoted. To realize 8K video cameras, 33Mpixel sensors [1]–[2] and a full-resolution camera system that uses three 33Mpixel sensors [3] have been reported. However, the weight of the camera with three sensors is over 40kg because the camera requires a large-format color-separation prism. To reduce the size of the camera, single-chip imaging is a promising approach, and a compact single-chip 8K camera that weighs only 2kg has already been developed using a color 33Mpixel CMOS image sensor [4]. However, a conventional single-chip camera has a lower image quality than a full-resolution camera because the total pixel count of the single-sensor camera is only one-third of that of the three-sensor camera, and pixel interpolation is required to configure a full-resolution image. In this paper, a 133Mpixel sensor that can be operated at 60fps to realize a full-resolution 8K single-chip camera is described. To achieve both high speed and suitable ADC resolution, 32-column multiplexing analog readout circuitry and 14b high-speed redundant successive approximation register (SAR) ADCs [5] are adopted. As a result, a full-size image with a data rate of 128.71Gb/s at 60fps has been captured.