Patent · US Expired

Monolithic imager for near-IR

US4198646A · kind A · utility

224Cited by
5References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 13, 1978
Grant dateApr 15, 1980
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 13, 1998

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N25/702
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A monolithic imager utilizing a plurality of detector cells is formed on a common intrinsic substrate. Backside illumination in the near-IR region generates hole-electron pairs in the intrinsic material which may be depleted throughout its thickness by CCD-range voltages applied by the imager's readout structure to a over-lying, thinly doped epitaxial layer. Minority carriers migrate toward a collection node which is formed in the epitaxial layer (and protrudes into the substrate), accumulating in an inversion layer at the surface of the epitaxial layer. The accumulated charge is advanced to an output diffusion in the epitaxial layer by means of a readout system which provides semi-random addressing of the transfer gate electrodes of the individual detector cells.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.