US 6,982,406 B2 | ||
Simple CMOS light-to-current sensor | ||
Pao Jung Chen, 20872 Sola St., Cupertino, Calif. 95014 (US) | ||
Filed on Apr. 03, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/406,053. | ||
Prior Publication US 2005/0258339 A1, Nov. 24, 2005 | ||
Int. Cl. H01L 31/00 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 250—214.1 | 10 Claims |
1. A CMOS light-to-current sensor chip supported on a semiconductor substrate comprising:
a p-n junction photo-diode having a photo-current generating node;
a first MOS transistor functioning as a transistor load having a drain terminal and a gate terminal connected to the photo-current
generating node of said p-n junction photo-diode, and a source terminal connected to a voltage supplying node; and
a second MOS transistor functioning as a current-mirror transistor of said first MOS transistor having a gate terminal connected
to the gate terminal of said first MOS transistor, a source terminal connected to the source terminal of said first MOS transistor,
and a drain terminal for outputting a substantially linearly amplified current proportional to the photo-generated current
of said photo-diode to an external resistor load.
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