High-speed peristaltic CCD imager with GaAs fet output

US5614740A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Q-Dot, Inc. · US

Inventors

• David W. Gardner · Colorado Springs, US
• Thomas E. Linnenbrink · Monument, US
• Stephen D. Gaalema · Colorado Springs, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 30, 1994
• Grant date: Mar 25, 1997
• Expiry date: Nov 30, 2014

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10F39/153

Abstract

An improved CCD imaging array is disclosed which is capable of operating at 10,000 frames-per-second. The imager consists of an array of 512.times.512 pixels having 16 serial output channels which provides a composite output data rate up to 250 Megasamples/second. The serial output registers are constructed from peristaltic CCDs, each having a GaAs FET output circuit bump-mounted to the silicon substrate. A four-layer pinned photodiode is utilized as the photodetector, and each photodiode has its own antiblooming drain. The antiblooming gates double as an optical shuttering device. Sample-and-hold output circuitry is also provided.