US 11,956,553 B2
Image sensor for sensing LED light with reduced flickering
Yun-Wei Cheng, Taipei (TW); Chun-Hao Chou, Tainan (TW); Kuo-Cheng Lee, Tainan (TW); and Hsin-Chi Chen, Tainan (TW)
Assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed on Nov. 8, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/521,267.
Application 17/521,267 is a division of application No. 16/264,212, filed on Jan. 31, 2019, granted, now 11,172,142.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/735,886, filed on Sep. 25, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0060614 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. H04N 23/745 (2023.01); H01L 27/146 (2006.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/745 (2023.01) [H01L 27/14605 (2013.01); H01L 27/1461 (2013.01); H01L 27/14621 (2013.01); H01L 27/14623 (2013.01); H01L 27/1463 (2013.01); H01L 27/1464 (2013.01); H01L 27/14645 (2013.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating an image sensor device, comprising:
turning on and off a plurality of first pixels at a first frequency, wherein each of the first pixels senses light at a first quantum efficiency; and
turning on and off a plurality of second pixels at a second frequency that is less than the first frequency, wherein each of the second pixels senses light at a second quantum efficiency that is lower than the first quantum efficiency;
wherein the turning on and off the plurality of first pixels and the turning on and off the plurality of second pixels comprise turning on at least one of the second pixels at any point in time during an operation of the image sensor device while all of the first pixels are turned off.