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US 3,996,600 AGranted
Charge coupled optical scanner with blooming control
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorNicholas Alex Patrin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved optical scanner including a semiconductor charge coupled shift register. The device is formed in a semiconductor substrate of a selected conductivity type (p or n). The substrate contains pockets of the opposite conductivity type (n or p), the pockets alternating between plus and minus. When the substrate and the pockets are biased to opposite electrical potentials, excess minority charges (caused by concentrated high intensity light) will be directed into the substrate to prevent "blooming".
Claims3
A charge coupled optical scanner comprising:
- a semiconductor body of a first conductivity type (p or n);
- said body having therein alternating first and second surface regions, both of said surface regions being of the opposite conductivity type (n or p);
- means for biasing said surface regions so that said first surface regions store charges generated therein, and said second surface regions become substantially fully depleted;
- electrodes overlying said first and second surface regions;
- and
- means for biasing said electrodes so that charges generated within said first surface regions which exceed the storage capacity of said first surface regions will be extracted therefrom and shunted through said second surface regions to said semiconductor body.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.