A Review of Recent Advances in High-Dynamic-Range CMOS Image Sensors

High-dynamic-range (HDR) technology enhances the capture of luminance beyond the limits of traditional images, facilitating the capture of more nuanced and lifelike visual effects. This advancement has profound implications across various sectors, such as medical imaging, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and autonomous driving systems. The evolution of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor (CIS) manufacturing techniques, particularly through backside illumination (BSI) and advancements in three-dimensional (3D) stacking architectures, is driving progress in HDR’s capabilities. This paper provides a review of the technologies developed over the past six years that augment the dynamic range (DR) of CIS. It systematically introduces and summarizes the implementation methodologies and distinguishing features of each technology.