Blooming control in CCD image sensors

摘要

A CCD image sensor has a plurality of elements, each such sensing element includes a doped semiconductor substrate, an insulator layer over the semiconductor substrate, and an electrode on the insulator layer which when potential is applied to the electrode creates a well in the bulk of the substrate which collects charge as a result of a photoelectric process. The insulator layer has a thin portion selected so as to allow excess charge collected in the channel to tunnel through the thin region to the electrode and thereby prevent blooming.