Monolithic sequential processor for four-quadrant multiplier arrays

A charge-coupled circuit for metering electrical charge, said charge-coupled circuit comprising:

• (a) input means including first switching means for providing a sequence of voltage potentials;
• (b) charge-coupled means coupled to said input means for providing charge indicative of said sequence of potentials;
• and
• (c) circuit means coupled to said charge-coupled means including potential converting means for providing and storing a signal indicative of said charge provided by said charge-coupled means, output means coupled to said potential converting means including second switching means for providing in response to a switching signal, an output signal indicative of the signal provided by said potential converting means, and discharge means for removing charge in said charge-coupled means at predetermined times;
• the output means of said circuit means including:
• a capacitor coupled to said second switching means and to ground;
• an output line;
• a first buffer means coupled between said potential converting means and said second switching means for providing a low impedance drive for said capacitor in order to facilitate the impressing of a potential voltage thereacross and for providing a high impedance to said potential converting means;
• a second buffer means coupled between said capacitor and said output line for providing a high impedance to said capacitor.

A charge-coupled circuit for metering electrical charge comprising:

• (a) input means including first switching means for providing a sequence of voltage potentials;
• (b) charge-coupled means coupled to said input means for providing charge indicative of said sequence of potentials;
• and
• (c) circuit means coupled to said charge-coupled means including potential converting means for providing and storing a signal indicative of said charge provided by said charge-coupled means, output means coupled to said potential converting means including second switching means for providing in response to a switching signal, an output signal indicative of the signal provided by said potential converting means, and discharge means for removing charge in said charge-coupled means at predetermined times;
• the discharge means of said circuit means including a metal-oxide semiconductor transistor having a source, a gate, and a drain, and having an electrostatic field shield for electrically isolating control signals applied to said gate from analog signals passing through said transistor, said source coupled to the output diffusion region of said charge-coupled means.

A charge-coupled circuit for metering electrical charge comprising:

• (a) charge-coupled means for providing charge indicative of a sequence of potentials, said charge-coupled means including:
• (1) means for supplying a source of electrical charge;
• (2) a charge-coupled device (CCD) having a substrate, said substrate having an insulating layer formed thereupon and an input diffusion region formed therein, said input diffusion region coupled to said means for supplying a source of electrical charge;
• (3) input well-forming means for forming, in response to a voltage potential applied thereto, at least one potential well in said substrate;
• (b) input means including first switching means for providing said sequence of voltage potentials, said input means including:
• (1) a first switch means for applying certain ones of said voltage potentials to said first potential input well-forming means;
• (2) means for maintaining said first potential well-forming means at the potential of a voltage applied thereto via said switch means;
• and
• (3) means for applying said voltage potentials to said third potential well-forming means.

A circuit comprising:

• (a) charge-coupled means including:
• (1) a well-forming means responsive to a voltage potential for forming an output well in said substrate;
• (2) means for storing charge in said output potential well;
• (b) circuit means coupled to said circuit means including potential converting means for providing and storing a signal indicative of said charge provided by said charge-coupled means, output means coupled to said potential converting means including second switching means for providing in response to a switching signal, an output signal indicative of the signal provided by said potential converting means, and discharge means for removing charge in said charge-coupled means at predetermined times;
• and
• (c) means for coupling said output potential to said circuit means.

A method using a charge-coupled device (CCD) for obtaining the sum of products of first, second, third and fourth input signals, said CCD having thereon input well-forming means for forming at least one input potential well in said CCD, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) draining electrical charge from a charge-coupled device (CCD);
• (b) filling a first potential well in said CCD with a first amount of charge corresponding to said first input signal;
• (c) draining into a second potential well in said CCD from said first potential well, a first portion of charge from said first amount of charge, said first portion of charge corresponding to said second input signal;
• (d) filling said first potential well with a third amount of charge corresponding to said third input signal;
• (e) draining into said second potential well from said first potential well a second portion of charge from said second amount of charge, said second portion of charge corresponding to said fourth input signal;
• (f) filling said first potential well with a third amount of charge corresponding to a fifth input signal and then draining into said second potential well from said first potential well a third portion of charge from said third amount of charge, said third portion of charge corresponding to said fifth input signal;
• and
• (g) once repeating step "(f)".