Patent ID: 7247898

Claim:
A self adjusting transfer gate, comprising: a substrate having a top surface, wherein said substrate is a P type silicon substrate; a first N well formed in said substrate wherein said first N well is N − type silicon and the junction between said substrate and said first N well forms a photodiode; a second N well formed in said substrate wherein said second N Well is N + type silicon and forms a storage node; a layer of dielectric material formed on the top surface of said substrate wherein said layer of dielectric material covers at least that part of said top surface of said substrate between said first N well and said second N well; a transfer gate electrode formed on said layer of dielectric material wherein said transfer gate electrode is directly over that part of said top surface of said substrate between said first N well and said second N well; a detection/reset circuit comprising a first NFET (N channel field effect transistor) having a source, a gate and a drain and a second NFET having a source, a gate and a drain wherein said source of said first NFET and said source of said second NFET are connected to a supply voltage and said gate of said first NFET is connected to a reset signal voltage; and an electrical connection formed between said second N well, said transfer gate electrode, said drain of said first NFET, and said gate of said second NFET, thereby maintaining said transfer gate electrode and said second N well at the same electrical potential.