Capacitively coupled array of photodetectors

摘要

A plurality of metal deposits are formed on the insulated surface of a semiconductive material to create an array of capacitive photodetectors. A plurality of metal columns connect the metal deposit of each photodetector to a corresponding metal deposit on the insulated surface of a silicon charge-coupled device (CCD). In this manner, the voltage signal generated in each photodetector is capacitively coupled to the charge-coupled device. The metal deposit on the CCD forms a gate for a fill/spill circuit which provides the input to the charge-coupled device. In a preferred embodiment, a bi-polar fill/spill circuit is used to provide an input to the CCD which is proportional to the change in voltage of a photodetector during a predetermined clocking period.