Surface charge signal processing apparatus

Signal correlator apparatus comprising

• a substrate of semiconductor material having a major surface,
• first means forming a first plurality of charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate,
• second means forming a second plurality of charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, each separated from a respective charge storage region of said first plurality by a respective intermediate region and forming a respective charge storage cell therewith,
• said first means including a first plurality of electrodes, each electrode insulating overlying a respective charge storage region of said first plurality, said electrodes being interconnected,
• said second means including a second plurality of electrodes, each insulatingly overlying a respective charge storage region of said second plurality,
• means for introducing into each of successive ones of said first charge storage regions a respective one of successive quantities of charge, each quantity being proportional to a respective sample of a time varying analog signal,
• means for applying to each of said second storage electrodes a voltage waveform selected from a first voltage waveform and a second voltage waveform of the same periodicity in response to a respective one of a series of successive binary bits of a reference word,
• a. the bits of a first value in said series of bits forming a first group of bits and providing said first voltage waveform to the second electrodes associated with a first group of cells, said first voltage waveform causing charges to be transferred during a first interval of a period thereof from the first charge storage regions of said first group of cells to the second charge storage regions thereof, and causing said transferred charge to be returned during a second interval,
• b. the bits of a second value in said series of bits forming a second group of bits and providing said second voltage waveform to the second electrodes associated with a second group of cells, said second voltage waveform causing charge to be transferred from first charge storage regions of said second group of cells to the second charge storage regions thereof during said second interval,
• means connected in circuit with said first storage electrodes for sensing the total net charge transferred to and from said first charge storage regions during said second interval.