CMOS sensor systems

Sensor systems based on CMOS technology benefit not only from the capability of silicon to realize both sensing and electronic functions, but also from the manufacturing maturity that CMOS technology has reached so far. In this contribution we discuss some of the important issues of CMOS sensor system design, such as available technologies and devices, design and implementation of sensor electronics, system design and verification, and also pay attention to testing, reliability and dependability. We present several examples of successfully integrated CMOS sensor systems, namely a 400X300 pixel image sensor, a magnetic-field sensor and a piezoresistive pressure sensor. All these sensors contain on-chip electronics and clearly demonstrate the advantages of monolithic integration. Finally, we discuss possible future developments in the area of CMOS sensor systems.