A high-resolution staggered-configuration CCD imager overlaid with an a-Si:H photoconductive layer

A high resolution "two-level" CCD imager was overlaid with an a-SiC: H (intrinsic)/a-Si: H (intrinsic)/a-SiC:H (p-type) photo-conversion layer. This device has 400 (horizontal:H) × 500 (vertical:V) pixels, in which 385(H) × 490(V) pixels are effective. The image area is 8.8 mm (H) × 6.5 mm (V), which corresponds to ⅔-in optical format. The high-resolution feature has been realized by staggered configuration pixel layout and novel interline transfer CCD scanner, which can read out two horizontal rows simultaneously. A horizontal limiting resolution of 500 TV lines, which is twice the conventional horizontal 400-pixel-number CCD, has been obtained without increasing the pixel packing density.