Patent ID: 9491386
Filing Date: 2016-11-08
CPC Classification: H04N

Claim Text:
1. A method for boosting a reset level in a pixel cell, comprising: switching ON a reset transistor coupled between a reset voltage and a floating diffusion of the pixel cell to charge the floating diffusion to a first reset level during a reset operation of the floating diffusion, wherein the floating diffusion is coupled to an input terminal of an amplifier transistor; switching from OFF to ON a select transistor coupled between an output terminal of the amplifier transistor and an output bitline of the pixel cell during the floating diffusion reset operation to initially discharge the output terminal of the amplifier transistor through the select transistor; and switching OFF the reset transistor after the output terminal of the amplifier transistor has been initially discharged in response to the switching ON of the select transistor during the floating diffusion reset operation, wherein the output terminal of the amplifier transistor charges to a static level after being initially discharged in response to the switching ON of the select transistor during the reset operation of the floating diffusion, and wherein the floating diffusion coupled to the input terminal of the amplifier transistor follows the output terminal of the amplifier transistor across an amplifier capacitance coupled between the input terminal and the output terminal of the amplifier transistor to boost the reset level of the floating diffusion from the first reset level to a second reset level as the output terminal of the amplifier transistor charges to the static level.