Patent ID: 7235771

Claim:
A multiple-step reset process for resetting a voltage stored on a photodiode prior to an integration time period, the process including: a first stage which occurs while a source and a drain of a pixel source-follower transistor are held at ground potential and including charging the photodiode and a gate of the pixel source-follower transistor to an initial reset voltage having potential less than that of a supply voltage; and a second stage which occurs after the initial reset voltage is stored on the photodiode and the gate of the pixel source-follower transistor and including releasing the source and drain voltages of the pixel source-follower transistor from ground potential and allowing the source and drain voltages of the pixel source-follower transistor to assume ordinary values above ground potential thereby resulting in a capacitive feed-through effect that increases the voltage on the photodiode to a value greater than the initial reset voltage.