Variable reticulation time delay and integrate sensor

Abstract

A TDI sensor includes a column of pixels ordered from an initial pixel to a final pixel where each pixel includes reticulated clock conductors arranged to define a reticulation area and a pixel charge handling capacity. The reticulation area of a pixel increases from the final pixel to the initial pixel, and the pixel charge handling capacity increases from the initial pixel to the final pixel. The sensor includes a first bus structure of polysilicon, where the bus structure includes register element sets and each register element set includes a plurality of clock conductors. Each register element set includes a corresponding pixel reticulation area, and the pixel reticulation area of a first register element set is unequal to a pixel reticulation area of another register element set. The sensor also includes a second bus structure of metal disposed substantially diagonally to the first bus structure. The second bus structure includes clock bus sets, and each clock bus set includes bus conductors. A first bus conductor of a first clock bus set includes parallel segments, and each parallel segment is co-parallel to the first bus structure. A first clock conductor of each register element set extends in an elongate direction and defines a predetermined clock conductor length in a direction perpendicular to the elongate direction. The first clock conductor of each register element set includes a first bridge segment having a predetermined bridge segment length in the direction perpendicular to the elongate direction, the predetermined clock conductor length being greater than the predetermined bridge segment length. A first parallel segment of the first bus conductor of each clock bus set is disposed over the first bridge segment of the first clock conductor of a corresponding set of the plurality of register element sets and connected thereto with a contact.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.