Time-independent CCD charge amplifier
AssigneeHoneywell Information Systems Inc.
InventorWallace Edward Tchon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A time-independent CCD charge amplifier comprises first and second CCD lines each having a plurality of electrode pairs disposed over a layer of silicon dioxide overlying a semiconductor substrate. Two clocks which are in a predetermined phase relationship with respect to one another are connected to alternate electrode pairs. The second CCD line further comprises a clocked-source charge injector, the input gate of which is electrically coupled to the signal source, which in a preferred embodiment comprises a surface potential tap in the first CCD line. According to a preferred embodiment, charge is non-destructively sampled from the first CCD line and is amplified by a predetermined factor in the second CCD line.
Claims9
A time-independent charge-coupled device charge amplifier comprising
- a substrate of a given type of semiconductor material,
- a layer of silicon dioxide overlying said substrate,
- a plurality of first electrode pairs overlying a first portion of said silicon dioxide layer, each of said first electrode pairs comprising a charge transfer electrode and a charge storage electrode, said plurality of first electrode pairs being arranged to form a first charge-coupled device,
- a plurality of clock drivers, a first one of said clock drivers being connected to alternate ones of said first electrode pairs and a second one of said clock drivers being connected to the remaining ones of said first electrode pairs,
- a first conduction region in said substrate underlying the charge storage electrode of one of said first electrode pairs, said first conduction region comprising semiconductor material of an opposite conductivity type from that of said substrate,
- a plurality of second electrode pairs overlying a second portion of said silicon dioxide layer, each of said second electrode pairs comprising a charge transfer electrode and a charge storage electrode, said plurality of said second electrode pairs being arranged so as to form a second charge-coupled device, said first one of said clock drivers being connected to alternate ones of said second electrode pairs and said second one of said clock drivers being connected to all but one of the remaining ones of said second electrode pairs,
- a second conduction region in said substrate and located adjacent to the charge transfer electrode of said one of said second electrode pairs, said second conduction region comprising semiconductor material of an opposite conductivity type from that of said substrate, said second conduction region being connected to said first one of said clock drivers,
- means for electrically connecting said first conduction region with said charge transfer electrode of said one of said second electrode pairs, and
- means for electrically connecting said charge storage electrode of said one of said second electrode pairs with said second one of said clock drivers through an offset circuit comprising
- an additional electrode on a third portion of said silicon dioxide layer,
- a third conduction region in said substrate and located beneath said additional electrode, said third conduction region comprising semiconductor material of an opposite conductivity type from that of said substrate,
- means for electrically connecting said additional electrode to said second one of said clock drivers, and
- means for electrically connecting said third conduction region to said charge storage electrode of said one of said second electrode pairs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.