Anti-blooming pixel sensor cell with active neutral density filter, methods of manufacture, and design structure
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsKristin M. Ackerson, Jeffrey P. Gambino, Mark D. Jaffe, Robert K. Leidy, Richard J. Rassel, Robert M. Rassel
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Abstract
A method of preventing blooming in a pixel array includes affecting an amount of light that impinges on a photoelectric conversion element by adjusting a transmissivity of an electrochromic element based on an output of the photoelectric conversion element.
Claims20
A method of preventing blooming in a pixel array, comprising:
- affecting an amount of light that impinges on a photoelectric conversion element by adjusting a transmissivity of an electrochromic element based on an output of the photoelectric conversion element, wherein the adjusting the transmissivity of the electrochromic element comprises turning the electrochromic element opaque prior to the photoelectric conversion element becoming saturated.
A pixel sensor cell, comprising:
- a photoelectric conversion element;
- an electrochromic element arranged in a path that light travels to the photoelectric conversion element;
- and
- a feedback circuit that is structured to adjust a transmissivity of the electrochromic element based on an output of the photoelectric conversion element,
- wherein the electrochromic element comprises an electrochromic material contacting a first electrically conductive element and a second electrically conductive element;
- the first electrically conductive element is electrically coupled to a reference voltage;
- and
- the second electrically conductive element is electrically coupled to a source voltage of a source follower transistor.
A hardware description language (HDL) design structure encoded on a machine-readable data storage medium, said HDL design structure comprising elements that when processed in a computer-aided design system generates a machine-executable representation of a pixel sensor cell, wherein said pixel sensor cell comprises:
- a photoelectric conversion element;
- an electrochromic element arranged in a path that light travels to the photoelectric conversion element;
- and
- a feedback circuit that adjusts a transmissivity of the electrochromic element based on an output of the photoelectric conversion element,
- wherein the electrochromic element comprises an electrochromic material contacting a first electrically conductive element and a second electrically conductive element;
- the first electrically conductive element is electrically coupled to a reference voltage;
- and
- the second electrically conductive element is electrically coupled to a source voltage of a source follower transistor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.