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US 4,380,056 AGranted
Charge coupled device focal plane with serial register having interdigitated electrodes
AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company
InventorsWilliam J. Parrish, Christopher L. Fletcher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention improves production yield and charge transfer speed and efficiency at the detector/register interface in a focal plane array and includes a novel meander channel CCD serial register in which charge packets generated in the array are stored. The electrode edge length across which charge is transferred at each entrance to the serial register is substantially increased in this invention in comparison with the prior art, resulting in a significant improvement in charge transfer efficiency and layout simplicity. Furthermore, this invention provides symmetrical surface potential distribution, and eliminates the gap instability in charge transfer.
Claims33
A charge coupled device (CCD) charge flow channel formed on a semiconductive substrate comprising:
- first and second electrodes overlying said channel extending side-by-side in a first direction parallel to said channel and separated from one another by an insulating gap therebetween;
- a first plurality of channel stop means in said substrate extending in a second direction transverse to said first direction for blocking charge flow in said first direction under said first electrode at a first plurality of spaced apart locations offset in said first direction from one another;
- a second plurality of channel stop means extending in said second direction for blocking charge flow in said first direction under said second electrode at a second plurality of spaced apart locations offset in said first direction from one another and spaced apart in said first direction from said first plurality of spaced apart locations;
- first electrode means for controlling charge transfer in said channel spanning said insulating gap between alternate pairs of adjacent ones of said first and second channel stop means;
- a first conductor connected to said first electrode means;
- second electrode means for controlling charge transfer in said channel spanning said insulating gap between the remaining pairs of adjacent ones of said first and second channel stop means;
- a second conductor connected to to said second electrode means;
- and
- means for applying clock signals to said electrodes and said conductors.
6 more elements
A charge coupled device parallel memory formed in a semiconductor substrate comprising:
- a plurality of parallel charge flow channels in said substrate extending in a first direction;
- first and second conductor means for carrying clock signals;
- a plurality of parallel adjacent electrode finger means for controlling charge flow in said substrate separated from one another by insulating gaps and alternately connected to said first and second conductor means, each of said electrode finger means extending across said plurality of parallel channels;
- a first plurality of electrode means each overlying one of said channels and extending in said first direction for controlling charge flow beneath alternate pairs of adjacent ones of said finger means;
- a second plurality of electrode means each overlying one of said channels and extending in said first direction adjacent one of said plurality of first electrode means and isolated therefrom by an elongate insulating gap, said second electrode means for controlling charge flow beneath the remaining pairs of adjacent ones of said finger means;
- first channel stop means for blocking charge flow in said substrate beneath said first electrode means beneath alternate adjacent pairs of said electrode finger means;
- second channel stop means for blocking charge flow in said substrate beneath said second electrode means beneath the remaining adjacent pairs of said electrode finger means;
- and
- clock signal means for applying clock signals to said conductor means and said electrode means.
6 more elements
A meander channel charge coupled device charge flow channel formed on a semiconductor substrate and extending in a first direction, comprising:
- a plurality of insulated first electrode means for controlling charge flow in said channel separated from one another by insulating gaps, each extending in a second direction across said channel;
- second electrode means extending in said first direction over said channel for controlling charge flow beneath alternate pairs of adjacent ones of said first electrode means;
- third electrode means separated from and adjacent said second electrode means, and extending in said first direction over said channel for controlllng charge flow beneath the remaining pairs of adjacent ones of said first electrode means;
- first means for blocking charge flow in said substrate beneath said second electrode means beneath alternate pairs of adjacent ones of said plurality of first electrode means;
- second means for blocking charge flow in said substrate beneath said third electrode means beneath the remaining pairs of adjacent ones of said plurality of first electrode means;
- first conductive means formed with alternate ones of said plurality of first electrode means for electrically connecting said alternate ones of said first plurality of electrode means;
- and,
- means for applying clock signals to said electrode means.
5 more elements
A charge coupled device formed on a semiconductor substrate for transferring charge in a meander path having right and left regions extending in a first direction in a plane, comprising:
- first insulated electrode means for controlling charge flow having a plurality of conductive portions, each of said portions extending in a second direction at least partially across said right and left regions;
- second insulated electrode means extending in said first direction, alternate pairs of adjacent ones of said first electrode means and said second electrode means at least partially overlapping for controlling charge flow in said right region;
- third insulated electrode means extending in said first direction, the remaining pairs of adjacent ones of said first electrode means and said third electrode means at least partially overlapping for controlling charge flow in said left region;
- and
- means for applying clock signals to selected ones of said first, second and third electrode means.
2 more elements
A charge coupled device formed on a semiconductive substrate for moving charge in a meander path comprising:
- a charge flow channel in said substrate extending in a first direction in a plane;
- a plurality of first electrode means for controlling charge flow in said channel disposed side-by-side, each extending in a second direction transverse to said first direction across said channel;
- a plurality of second electrode means for controlling charge flow in said channel overlying said channel, each extending in said first direction, alternate pairs of adjacent ones of said first electrode means and said second electrode means at least partially overlapping;
- a plurality of third electrode means for controlling charge flow in said channel offset in said second direction from said second electrodes means, each extending in said first direction, remaining pairs of adjacent ones of said first electrode means and said third electrode means at least partially overlapping;
- and
- means for applying clock signals to said first, second and third electrode means.
3 more elements
A charge coupled device charge flow channel extending in a first direction formed in a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of transfer gates, in which charge transfer occurs in alternate portions of the channel, said device comprising:
- first and second electrodes extending in said first direction over said channel;
- a first plurality of channel stop means extending in a second direction for blocking charge flow in said first direction under said first electrode at a first plurality of locations disposed along said first electrodes;
- a second plurality of channel stop means extending in said second direction blocking charge flow in said first direction under said second electrode at a second plurality of locations disposed along said second electrode, said second plurality of channel stop means offset in said first direction from said first plurality of channel stop means;
- and
- a plurality of transfer gate electrodes extending in said second direction between adjacent pairs of said first and second channel stop means and at least partially overlying both said first and second electrodes.
2 more elements
A meander channel charge coupled device parallel storage register array formed in a semiconductor substrate comprising:
- a plurality of substantially mutually parallel charge flow channels extending in a first direction in said substrate, each of said channels having right and left portions extending in said first direction;
- a plurality of first electrode means, each extending in a second direction across said plurality of parallel channels;
- second electrode means for controlling charge flow beneath alternate pairs of adjacent ones of said first electrode means in the right portion of each of said parallel channels;
- third electrode means for controlling charge flow beneath remaining pairs of adjacent ones of said first electrode means in the left portion of each of said parallel channels;
- and
- means for applying clock signals to selected ones of said electrode means.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.