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SNR Calculator

Compute the signal-to-noise ratio for a CMOS image sensor pixel under various operating conditions. Understand the interplay between quantum efficiency, pixel size, noise sources, and scene illumination.

SNR & Photon Transfer Curve Calculator

Calculate signal-to-noise ratio and related metrics for a CMOS pixel given sensor parameters.

Signal
6000 e⁻
Total Noise
77.48 e⁻
SNR
77.4 (37.8 dB)
Dynamic Range
72.0 dB
Pixel is saturated! Signal capped at full well capacity.
Photon Transfer Curve (PTC)
10⁰10¹10²10³10⁴0.3210⁰3.210¹3210²Signal (e⁻)Noise (e⁻)TotalShotReadDark
SNR vs Illuminance
20 dB30 dB40 dB10⁰10¹10²10³10⁴0102030405060Illuminance (lux)SNR (dB)

Noise Sources

SourceFormulaDominant Regime
Shot noise√(signal)Bright scenes
Dark current√(I_dark × t_int)Long exposures
Read noiseconstantLow light

Total noise = √(shot² + dark² + read²)

Key Metrics

  • SNR (dB) = 20 × log₁₀(signal / total_noise)
  • Dynamic range = 20 × log₁₀(full_well / read_noise) — the ratio between the brightest and dimmest signals a pixel can capture