A 1/2 inch 1.3 M-pixel progressive-scan IT-CCD for still and motion picture applications

Abstract

For still pictures, the sensor provides high-resolution color signals in a 15 frame/s 1050-line progressive mode. For motion pictures, it provides wide-dynamic range color signals in a 30 frame/s 525-line progressive mode. This latter mode employs a pixel-exchange-and-mix readout function that helps halve the number of scanning lines. A 5/spl times/5 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ pixel makes the 8.3/spl times/7.1 mm/sup 2/ IT-CCD the smallest yet applicable to the SXGA format. A two-phase drive horizontal CCD with phosphorus-implanted storage regions (PST-HCCD) with optimized wells so that they do not generate potential pockets under inter-electrode gaps helps reduce the driving voltage to 2.5 V. In still camera use, an overflow drain with self-adjusting potential barrier (SA-OFD) is attached to the HCCD to remove superfluous charges in the vertical CCD (VCCD) just before an exposure. A source-follower amplifier with separate p-well driver transistors with suppressed back-gate effects achieves a gain 11% higher than that obtained using a conventional amplifier. Green-sensitivity of the device is 190 mV (F8, 706 nt, 1/30 s), and the saturation signal is 400 mV (1050-line progressive mode).