12 - Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) X-ray sensors

CMOS image sensors (CIS) are taking an ever growing part in the X-ray sensors market, competing with a:Si flat panels and direct conversion sensors. CMOS image sensors are superior by means of power consumption, noise level, and in-pixel special functionality. This chapter reviews the history of CIS role in the X-ray sensing market. Performance parameters and figure of merits of X-ray sensors are presented, and the evolution of CIS for X-ray sensing is discussed. Requirements and solutions for different applications are also presented. Comparison to competing technologies is briefly discussed and the chapter concludes with future trends of these promising devices.