1. A unit pixel for use in a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor having a photodiode, a transfer transistor, a reset transistor, a drive transistor and a selection transistor, the unit pixel comprising:
a first well where the drive transistor and the selection transistor are formed; and
a second well where a diffusion region electrically connected to a power supply voltage (VDD) contact is formed between the drive transistor and the reset transistor.
2. The unit pixel as recited in claim 1, wherein the first well and the second well are separated by a predetermined distance from each other.
3. The unit pixel as recited in claim 1, wherein the first well is coupled to the second well like a channel type well.
4. The unit pixel as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and the second well are p-type well.
5. A unit pixel for use in a CMOS image sensor having a photodiode, a transfer transistor, a reset transistor, a drive transistor and a selection transistor, the unit pixel comprising:
a first active area, having a protrusive portion thereof, where the transfer transistor, the reset transistor and a VDD contact are formed, in which the VDD contact is formed out of the protrusive portion, to thereby reduce a leakage current between the VDD contact and an adjacent photodiode by forming the VDD contact apart from the adjacent photodiode by a predetermined distance, the first active area being connected to the photodiode;
a second active area where the drive transistor, the selection transistor and an output contact are formed, wherein the second active area is perpendicularly connected to the first active area; and
a supplementary p-well containing a predetermined portion of the first active area which is connected to the VDD contact.
6. The unit pixel as recited in claim 5, wherein the predetermined distance ranges from about 0.25 \u03bcm to about 0.38 \u03bcm in order that leakage current flows in a range of about 1.0\xd710-11A\u03bcm2 to about 9.9\xd710-11A\u03bcm2 when the VDD is applied to the VDD contact in the range of about 2.5 V to about 2.8 V.
7. A CMOS image sensor having a plurality of unit pixels, each containing a photodiode, a transfer transistor, a reset transistor, a drive transistor and a selection transistor, said each unit pixel comprising:
a first well where the drive transistor and the selection transistor are formed; and
a second well where a diffusion region electrically connected to a power supply voltage (VDD) contact is formed between the drive transistor and the reset transistor.
8. The unit pixel as recited in claim 7, wherein the first well and the second well are separated by a predetermined distance from each other.
9. The unit pixel as recited in claim 7, wherein the first well is coupled to the second well like a channel type well.
10. A CMOS image sensor having a plurality of unit pixels, each containing a photodiode, a transfer transistor, a reset transistor, a drive transistor and a selection transistor, said each unit pixel comprising:
a first active area having a protrusive portion thereof where the transfer transistor, the reset transistor and a VDD contact are formed, in which the VDD contact is formed out of the protrusive portion, to thereby reduce a leakage current between the VDD contact and an adjacent photodiode by forming the VDD contact apart from the adjacent photodiode by a predetermined distance, the first active area being connected to the photodiode;
a second active area where the drive transistor, the selection transistor and an output contact are formed, wherein the second active area is perpendicularly connected to the first active area; and
a supplementary p-well containing a predetermined portion of the first active area which is connected to the VDD contact.
11. The CMOS image sensor as recited in claim 10, wherein the predetermined distance ranges from about 0.25 \u03bcm to about 0.38 \u03bcm in order that leakage current flows in a range of about 1.0\xd710-11A\u03bcm2 to about 9.9\xd710-11A\u03bcm2 when the VDD is applied to the VDD contact in the range of about 2.5 V to about 2.8 V.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A multimedia recording apparatus, comprising:
a receiving unit for receiving ongoing multimedia information;
a normal recording unit for starting and stopping recording the ongoing multimedia information to generate a first multimedia data under a normal recording mode in response to a first user instruction;
a pre-recording unit for automatically recording the ongoing multimedia information to generate a second multimedia data when the normal recording mode is not active; and
a combining unit for adding at least part of content of the second multimedia data to the first multimedia data in response to a second user instruction.
2. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, where the combining unit shows the second multimedia data to a user for the user to determine the second user instruction.
3. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 2, when the combining unit shows the second multimedia data to the user, the pre-recoding unit still records the ongoing multimedia information.
4. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second multimedia data include content appeared before the first multimedia data in the ongoing multimedia information in time domain.
5. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second multimedia data include content appeared after the first multimedia data in the ongoing multimedia information in time domain.
6. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pre-recording unit only keeps a most current period of the ongoing multimedia information in the second multimedia data.
7. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 6, wherein the length of the most current period of the ongoing multimedia information to be kept is determined by considering hardware condition.
8. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 6, wherein the length of the most current period of the ongoing multimedia information to be kept is determined by user setting.
9. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pre-recording unit keeps only partial information of the ongoing multimedia information that is out of a predetermined range of time domain in the second multimedia data.
10. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second data contain halfway encoded data that need further processing.
11. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first multimedia data are of a first data format, the second multimedia data are of a second data format, and the first data format is not the same as the second data format.
12. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first multimedia data are of a first data format, the second multimedia data are of a second data format, and the first data format is the same as the second data format.
13. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pre-recoding unit starts recording when one or more than one activating pre-recording conditions are met.
14. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first multimedia data are stored in a first storage and the second multimedia data are stored in a second storage, and when the first storage is removed temporarily, the pre-recording unit keeps recording the ongoing multimedia information.
15. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiving unit contains a decoder for obtaining a broadcasting program.
16. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiving unit contains a camera unit for capturing ongoing events into the ongoing multimedia information.
17. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pre-recording unit records audio data and the normal recording unit records both audio data and video data.
18. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein a most current time period of the ongoing multimedia information is updated in a buffer by the pre-recording unit, and the length of the most current time period is determined by the size of the buffer.
19. The multimedia recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pre-recording unit continues to record the ongoing multimedia information when the normal recording unit is stopped in response to the first user instruction.
20. A multimedia recording method, comprising:
receiving ongoing multimedia information;
starting and stopping recording the ongoing multimedia information to generate a first multimedia data under a normal recording mode in response to a first user instruction;
automatically recording the ongoing multimedia information to generate a second multimedia data when the normal recording mode is not active; and
adding at least part of content of the second multimedia data to the first multimedia data in response to a second user instruction.
21. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, further comprising:
showing the second multimedia data to a user for the user to determine the second user instruction.
22. The multimedia recording method of claim 21, wherein when the second multimedia data is shown to the user, the ongoing multimedia information is still recorded to generate the second multimedia data.
23. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein the second multimedia data include content before the first multimedia data in the ongoing multimedia information.
24. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein the second multimedia data include content after the first multimedia data in the ongoing multimedia information.
25. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein only a most current period of the ongoing multimedia information is kept in the second multimedia data.
26. The multimedia recording method of claim 25, wherein the length of the most current period of the ongoing multimedia information to be kept is determined by considering hardware condition.
27. The multimedia recording method of claim 25, wherein the length of the most current period of the ongoing multimedia information to be kept is determined by user setting.
28. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein only partial information of the ongoing multimedia information that is out of a predetermined range of time domain is kept in the second multimedia data.
29. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein the second data contain halfway encoded data that need further processing.
30. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein the first multimedia data are of a first data format, the second multimedia data are of a second data format, and the first data format is not the same as the second data format.
31. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein the first multimedia data are of a first data format, the second multimedia data are of a second data format, and the first data format is the same as the second data format.
32. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein the pre-recoding unit starts recording when one or more than one activating pre-recording conditions are met.
33. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein the first multimedia data are stored in a first storage and the second multimedia data are stored in a second storage, and when the first storage is removed temporarily, the ongoing multimedia information is still recorded into the second multimedia data.
34. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein a most current time period of the ongoing multimedia information to be stored in the second multimedia data is updated in a buffer, and the length of the most current time period is determined by the size of the buffer.
35. The multimedia recording method of claim 20, wherein the second multimedia data continues to be generated by recording the ongoing multimedia information when the first multimedia data is stopped in response to the first user instruction.