Patent ID: 7554074

Claim:
An image sensor, comprising: a photosensitive pixel including a photodiode for generating a photoelectron, a transfer transistor for transferring the photoelectron to a diffusion node and a reset transistor for resetting the diffusion node; a driving circuit for generating a driving switching signal with respect to the transfer transistor and the reset transistor; and an intermediary circuit for changing characteristics of the signal to drive the photosensitive pixel in a pseudo pinch-off mode, wherein the intermediary circuit comprises a rising relief circuit for providing gradual rising edge pulse portions to a gate of the transfer transistor when entering a photodiode reset section and when entering a photoelectron transfer section, wherein the provided gradual rising edge pulse portions reduce a voltage upswing to the gate of the transfer transistor as a function of time which suppresses a voltage rise in a channel of the transfer transistor which results in substantially keeping the transfer transistor in the pseudo pinch-off mode.