Patent ID: 8130301

Claim:
A method of forming a pixel cell array comprising a plurality of pixels, the method comprising: forming first and second photosensors for generating photocharges in response to applied light; forming a first trunk including a transfer gate, the transfer gate for transferring the photocharges from each of the first and second photosensors to a common storage region; forming a second trunk that is split from the first trunk and that includes at least one transistor for reading out a signal representing the photocharges transferred to the common storage region, the at least one transistor having a gate; forming a reset transistor for resetting said common storage region; forming a row select transistor for providing said signal as an output signal, wherein respective gates of said at least one transistor, said reset transistor, and said row select transistor are not linearly aligned; and forming a first electrode over the gate of the at least one transistor, wherein the gate of the at least one transistor is configured to act as a second electrode, and wherein the first and second electrodes form a capacitor that provides additional charge storage capacity for the common storage region.