Patent ID: 7205778

Claim:
An electrostatic capacitance detection device for reading surface contours of an object by detecting an electrostatic capacitance, which changes according to a distance with the object, comprising: M individual power supply lines and N individual output lines, arranged in a matrix of M rows×N columns, and electrostatic capacitance detection elements provided on crossing points of the individual power supply lines and the individual output lines; each of the electrostatic capacitance detection elements being formed of a signal detection element and a signal amplification element, the signal detection element being formed of a capacitance detecting electrode, a capacitance detecting dielectric layer and a reference capacitor, the reference capacitor being formed of a reference capacitor first electrode, a reference capacitor dielectric layer and a reference capacitor second electrode, the signal amplification element being formed of a MIS type thin film semiconductor device for signal amplification, including a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer and a semiconductor layer, and a drain region of the MIS type thin film semiconductor device for signal amplification being electrically coupled to the individual power supply lines and the reference capacitor first electrode, and the gate electrode of the MIS type thin film semiconductor device for signal amplification being coupled to the capacitance detecting electrode and the reference capacitor second electrode.