An 8 megapixel/sec 800 × 800 virtual phase CCD imager scientific applications

A large format Virtual Phase Charge Coupled Device has been developed for scientific purposes requiring data rates up to 8 megapixels/sec. This has involved the designing of an amplifier which is compatible with the CCD process, which has a bandwidth greater than 10 megahertz, and which has noise dominated by a low white noise floor for frequencies in the megahertz region. The device has an 800 pixel by 800 pixel imaging array with 15 microns by 15 microns pixels and operates in either a full frame mode or a 2 × 2 summing mode. The resulting die is 1.4 cm by 1.4 cm. The single gate level virtual phase technology produces high yield and spectral response in the visible when used with frontside illumination. Charge handling capacity is 130,000 e- per pixel.