The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 27, 1985
Filed:
Jun. 04, 1979
Charles G Roberts, Plano, TX (US);
Joseph E Hall, Richardson, TX (US);
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
A floating gate amplifier in a charge-coupled device (CCD) permitting non-destructive readout, where the floating gate is conductively coupled through a high resistance element to a bias voltage. The floating gate is defined by a lower level of metallization which is embedded in an insulating layer and crosses the charge transfer channel. In one embodiment the floating gate is connected to the source of a metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor and the drain of the transistor is connected to an upper level conductor which is a bias line. In another embodiment, the anode of a diode is connected to the floating gate and the diode cathode is connected to the bias line. A pair of control gates adjacent to and partially overlapping the floating gate transfer charge packets and improve sensitivity. Reading is accomplished by detecting voltages induced on the floating gate by the charge packets.