Between CCDs and CMOS, which technology is more susceptible to noise, has lower light sensitivity, uses very little power, and is inexpensive to manufacture?

• A. CCDs
• B. CMOS
• C. Both equally
• D. None

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how sensor architecture affects noise, light sensitivity, power use, and manufacturing cost. CMOS image sensors integrate most of the electronics right in each pixel and can be made with standard, high-volume semiconductor processes. That integration lets them use very little power and be inexpensive to manufacture. Historically, the presence of on‑chip transistors and circuitry in each pixel also meant more electronic noise and somewhat reduced light sensitivity (due to fill factor and transistor noise), compared with CCDs, which separate the signal transfer from the pixel and often achieve very low noise and higher sensitivity but at higher power and cost. So the combination of being more prone to noise, having lower light sensitivity, consuming little power, and being cheap to manufacture aligns with CMOS sensors.