Two-dimensional transfer in charge transfer devices

Claim 1

A charge transfer device comprising a semiconductor medium which is of a first conductivity type, an insulating layer covering at least a portion of the surface of said medium, a conductive pattern disposed upon said insulating layer comprising a series of conductive strips each formed in the shape of substantially quadrilateral members overlapping in their diagonal dimension placed such that the members form a two-dimensional array of rows and columns of electrodes with each electrode being coupled along a diagonal dimension in common with all other electrodes in said diagonal dimension to one of a plurality of conduction paths extending over said insulating layer to which a suitable bias may be applied, and means included under a portion of each electrode for forming under each electrode an asymmetric potential well when a suitable bias is applied to said conduction paths, said electrodes being positioned with respect to said means for forming an asymmetric potential well so that said means extends under an area of each electrode bounding two adjacent sides of said electrode so as to define a plurality of parallel transfer paths in said medium in each of two noncollinear directions of movement of mobile charge carriers in a plane essentially parallel to said one surface of said medium, wherein the transfer paths in one direction are formed under the rows of said electrodes and the transfer paths in the other direction are formed under the columns of said electrodes and wherein for any electrode, an adjacent electrode in the row and an adjacent electrode in the column are coupled to different ones of said conduction paths.