An S-VHS compatible 1/3" color FT-CCD imager with low dark current by surface pinning

A Frame-Transfer CCD imager for consumer applications has been developed with low dark current by using hole accumulation at the entire Si-SiO₂ interface of the image pixel during integration, called "All-Gates Pinning", or AGP. All sensor features, such as vertical anti-blooming and electronic shutter are maintained. The sensor combines thin polysilicon electrodes with mosaic color filters for increased sensitivity and resolution, and uses minimized capacitances and a double metal technology for increased frame shift frequency to obtain low smear. The image pixel operation and optimization are presented, Measurements show a 30 times lower dark current, and 8 times lower fixed-pattern noise with all-gates pinning compared to a conventional device. A frame shift frequency of 15 MHz is achieved. These new features allow the reduction from 2/3" to 1/3" image format without sacrificing the performance.