Operation Under High Ionizing Dose Rates of Gamma or X-Ray Radiation of a 10 µm Radiation Tolerant Global Shutter Pixel ^†

A 10 × 10 µm² radiation-tolerant voltage-domain global shutter pixel with radiation-hardened by design (RHBD) device modification is developed to operate under high ionizing-dose rates and high total ionizing-dose (TID) levels. Therefore, a modified NMOS transistor layout is used in the pixel to achieve radiation hardness. The pixel design is demonstrated to operate up to 1 MGy or 100 Mrad (SiO₂) TID with minimal degradation. The global shutter pixel also includes correlated double sampling (CDS) to reduce noise and the impact of the collected carriers generated by the flux of gamma or X-ray radiation. Combined with an external flash, global shutter operation allows short exposures, which limits the impact of radiation on dark current and dynamic range. The pixel is designed using 180 nm CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) technology.