CCDCMOSsensorer

CCDCMOSsensorer is a term used to describe image sensors based on two dominant technologies: charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors. Both types convert light into electrical signals and are used in digital cameras, smartphones, and various imaging systems. The CCD approach transfers photo-generated charge through a sequence of capacitors to a single or few readout nodes, offering high uniformity and low noise. CMOS sensors integrate pixel-level readout electronics, analogue-to-digital conversion, and often additional processing circuitry within each pixel, enabling higher integration, lower power, and on-chip features. The two families historically diverged in performance, with CCDs traditionally delivering superior image quality in terms of noise and dynamic range, and CMOS sensors offering advantages in power consumption, cost, and system integration. Over the past two decades, CMOS technology has closed the gap, and many modern sensors use CMOS with advanced fabrication, back-illumination, stacked architectures, and on-chip processing.

Key differences in practice include readout architecture (global shutter versus rolling shutter), power consumption, bandwidth, and manufacturing ecosystem. CCDs typically require higher voltage and complex clocking, while CMOS sensors support random-access readout and region-of-interest capture more easily. Back-illuminated and stacked CMOS technologies have further improved quantum efficiency and sensitivity, contributing to lower noise and higher dynamic range in recent sensors.

Manufacturing and deployment of CCD and CMOS sensors span consumer electronics, automotive and surveillance cameras, industrial inspection, astronomy, and medical imaging. Major players include a range of semiconductor and imaging firms that continue to innovate in areas such as on-chip processing, HDR capture, and new sensor architectures.

See also: image sensor, rolling shutter, global shutter, back-illumination.