A 1/2-in. CCD image sensor overlaid with a hydrogenated amorphous silicon

A half-inch size CCD image sensor overlaid with a hydrogen-erated amorphous silicon (α-Si:H) as a photodetector has been developed. The array consists of 506V × 404H picture elements. The glow-discharged α-Si:H film has high quantum efficiency of 0.75-0.8 in the visible wavelength range and low dark current of 0.2 nA/cm²and is formed on the CCD scanner with vertical overflow drain. This CCD image sensor has a sensitivity of 0.014 µA/lx (3200 K)and a S/N ratio of 73 and 68 dB for fixed-pattern noise and random noise, respectively. Smearing signal is suppressed to below 5 percent at incident light intensity of 1000 times saturation exposure. The blooming and highlight lag are completely suppressed by the vertical overflow drain structure.