Patent ID: 7495274

Claim:
An image sensor integrated circuit, comprising: a plurality of photodetectors generating electrons excited by incident photons; a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of photodetectors has a corresponding node of the plurality of nodes; a plurality of transfer devices controlling a transfer of the electrons from said each of the plurality of photodetectors to the corresponding node, each of the plurality of transfer devices including: a first terminal coupled to one of the plurality of photo detectors; a second terminal coupled to one of the plurality of nodes; and a body between the first terminal and the second terminal; and a control terminal electrically coupled to the body, wherein the transfer of the electrons occurs through the body between the first terminal and the second terminal in response to a control voltage of sufficient value applied to the control terminal, the control terminal includes a first part and a second part, the first part of the control terminal closer than the second part of the control terminal to the first terminal, the second part of the control terminal closer than the first part of the control terminal to the second terminal, the control terminal having a nonconstant work function such that a difference between the nonconstant work function of the first part of the control terminal and the nonconstant work function of the second part of the control terminal create an electric field in the body tending to cause electrons in the body to move in a direction from the first terminal to the second terminal; a plurality of reset devices, wherein each of the plurality of nodes has a corresponding reset device of the plurality of reset devices, and said each of the plurality of nodes is reset when the corresponding reset device is active; row and column circuitry; and a plurality of signal devices coupling the plurality of nodes to the row and column circuitry.