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:
Jul. 02, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 05, 2000
Carlos Mazure-Espejo, München, DE;
Christoph Zeller, Ottobrunn, DE;
Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, DE;
Abstract
A circuit includes a sensor delivering a charge, a capacitor non-volatilely storing the charge, and a read and reset circuit reading out the stored charge. The capacitor has further connection terminals connected to the read and reset circuit and in parallel with the sensor terminals, and a ferroelectric storage dielectric intermittently connected to the sensor. The sensor can be a photodiode, a phototransistor, a Hall sensor, or a thermoelement. A switch can be connected between one of the further terminals and one of the sensor terminals. Preferably, the switch is a transistor and a drive circuit drives it. The sensor and the capacitor are formed in a semiconductor body. During a storage procedure, time periods during which the switch is on are coordinated with the sensor and/or capacitor to keep an electrical field present between the further terminals below a maximum value at which the ferroelectric dielectric saturates.