Patent GB-1501018-A (GB)
Title: Television cameras
IPC: H04N5/372
Filed: 1975-03-26
Abstract: 1501018 Solid state photo-sensitive array SONY CORP 26 March 1975 [29 March 1974] 12720/75 Heading H1K [Also in Division H4] A solid state array of light-sensitive picture elements 20A, Fig. 1, is formed on a slab of semi-conductor material. A second such array 30A, which is optically shielded, forms transfer storage locations for signals derived from the light sensing array 20A. Stored charges are clocked out of array 30A via a CCD 40A. Figs. 2, 3A and 3B show a practical example of the photo-sensitive array 20A including the picture elements 1 1-1 , 1 1-2 , ... 1 m-n . In Figs. 3A and 3B, reference numeral 3 designates a semi-conductor substrate of, for example, P-type conductivity. Regions 4a, 4b, ... also of P-type conductivity, but different impurity concentration, are formed by diffusion in a major surface 3a of the substrate 3, with the alignment pitch # H , as channel stops. In the channel stops 4a, 4b, ... there are formed by diffusion over-flow drain regions 5a, 5b, ... so as to discharge excess electrons which may be produced in the substrate 3 surrounded by the channel stops 4a, 4b, ... The conductivity type of the regions 5a, 5b is N-type in the illustrated example. In Figs. 3A and 3B, reference numeral 6 indicates an insulating layer made of SiO 2  or the like formed on the surface 3a, which layer 6 is used in the diffusion mentioned above. A conductive layer 7 of, for example, aluminium to serve as an electrode is formed on the insulating layer 6. That is, as shown in Fig. 2, a first conductive layer 7a, which intersects the channel stop 4a at right-angles and has a predetermined width, is formed on the insulating layer 6, and a second conductive layer 7b, whose width is the same as that of the first conductive layer 7a, is also formed on the insulating layer 6 parallel to the first conductive layer 7a at a predetermined distance from the latter. Similarly, conductive layers 7c, 7d, ... are formed on the insulating layer 6 sequentially and repeatedly with respect to the vertical direction of the photo-sensitive array 20A. The total number of the conductive layers 7 (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, ...) is three times greater than the number of picture elements, because the CCD 10A is 3-phase. Every third conductive layer (7a, 7d, ...), 7a, 7e, ...), ... is electrically connected, and the electrodes # 1 , # 2 , and # 3  are led out from the respective connected conduction layer groups, as shown in Fig. 1. A metal layer 9, made, for example, of aluminium to serve as an opaque body, is formed overlying an insulating layer 8 made of SiO 2  or the like on the conductive layer 7. The metal layer 9 consists of a plurality of band-shaped strips 9a, 9b, ... each having a predetermined width W, extending in the vertical direction for covering at least each of channel stops 4a, 4b, ..., but not covering the channel stops belonging to the other channels, as shown in Fig. 2. Therefore, the hatched portions in Fig. 2 act as photo-sensing units 2 of the respective picture elements 1 1-1 , 1 1-2 , ... 1 m-n . As shown in Fig. 3B, in the cross-section passing through the photo-sensing units 2, there is no conductive layer 7 (7a, 7b, ...) overlying the top surface 3a of the semi-conductor substrate 3.