ELECTRIC CHARGE SKIMMING ON FOCAL PLANE AND VARIABLE STORAGE TIME

摘要

PURPOSE: To obtain electric charge skimming and a variable storage time without adding any constitution to a read circuit by sending a pulse to a field plate above a Schottky barrier diode. ;CONSTITUTION: A pixel element 11 has a Schottky barrier diode 18 and an electric charge read cell 22. A cathode plate 15 is arranged on a Ptype silicon substrate 12, and a dielectric isolation layer 16 is arranged between the plate 15 and a field plate 17. A CCD gate transfers the signal electric charge of the diode to an output circuit 22. A transfer gate 20 of the diode receives one pulse per frame and transfers the electric charge to the circuit 22. When the gate 20 is turned off, the gate 20 stores the electric charge and isolates the diode 18. The electric charge is confined in between the gate 20 and the substrate 12. When the gate 20 is turned on, the electric charge is transferred to a CCD read gate 21. The electric charge is transferred in accordance with the potential level of the gate 20, thus performing variable electric charge skimming.;COPYRIGHT: (C)1994,JPO