A CCD imager for extracting the spectral information from impinging photons and having a multiple photon collection structure through which protons must serially traverse. The carriers generated by the impinging photons are collected by two or more collection regions in each resolution element and the ratio of the relative responses of each of the collection regions can be used to derive spectral information. The CCD imager is fabricated such that both the holes and the electrons generated by the impinging photons are collected, detected, stored, and transferred. Furthermore, the collection of both the holes and the electrons generated by the impinging photons in the CCD imager enables the generation of spectral information without degradation of detector quantum efficiency and can further enable the generation of complete spectral information when used to detect impinging photons comprising mono-energetic optical signals.
A CCD includes several juxtaposed channels for hole transport and electron transport. Each channel forms a lateral boundary for an adjacent complementary channel so that high density in combination with a simple structure can be obtained. The CCD channels may include a matrix of photosensitive elements of a solid state image sensor for a camera. The invention may also be used in memory matrices and other CCD devices.
A CCD imager includes a large number of light receiving sections each having in turn a semiconductor surface region of a second conductivity type, a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type, a semiconductor region of the second conductivity type and a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, vertically. The second semiconductor region is formed by a dual structure of the low concentration semiconductor region and the high concentration semiconductor region. The dual structure provides for shuttering at a lower voltage since the potential barrier along the depth of the light receiving section is no longer affected by the amount of the stored charges, while spreading of the depletion layer at the junction is suppressed by the high concentration semiconductor region.
A charge transfer device and a solid state image sensor using the same, capable of transferring signal charge at a high signal to noise ratio (S/N ratio) and preventing an occurrence of dark current. They include a double-layered charge transfer path structure provided by forming a surface channel region on a buried channel region formed in a semiconductor substrate, the surface channel region having a conductivity opposite to that of the buried channel region. The surface channel region of the doubled-layered structure is used for accumulating dark current generated from boundary surfaces between the substrate and a gate insulating film, whereas the buried channel region is used for transferring optical signal charge. Where minus and/or plus drive voltages are applied to the transfer electrodes, there is no increase in dark current, in accordance with the present invention. The quantity of transferred signal charge can be greatly increased.
An energy discriminator is provided wherein energy, entering through a receiving surface into a multilayer semiconductor monocrystalline body is converted into hole-electron pair carriers in different particular energy responsive layers and the electrons thereof are collected in potential wells that are asymmetric to electron flow associated with the particular layer.
A CCD imager is made to have an internal drift field tending to force further into the bulk any charge carriers outside the potential wells induced adjacent to integrating electrodes, so those charge carriers recombine in the bulk. This reduces background striations, reduces crosstalk, can be used for improving blooming control, and can be exploited to control the wavelengths of light to which the imager is responsive.
