Array type charge extraction device for infra-red detection

Claim 1

An infra-red detector array comprising a plurality of detector elements, each of said elements comprising: a substrate of an extrinsic semi-conductor material adapted to generate majority carriers in response to infra-red radiation, said substrate having front and back surfaces through either of which such radiation passes, a plurality of majority carrier diffused regions separated from each other and formed along the front surface of the substrate, a layer of dielectric material on said front surface, a collector electrode deposited over said dielectric layer opposite one of said diffused regions, thereby forming a storage capacitor, a conductive signal line deposited on said dielectric layer opposite and making electrical contact with another of said diffusion regions, and conductive address line means deposited over said dielectric and positioned between said collector electrode and said signal electrode, a biasing potential being applied to said collector electrode so as to attract the majority carriers generated in said substrate by said radiation toward said collector electrode, whereby when addressing signals are simultaneously received at both address line means of any detector element, said majority-carrier charge stored in the capacitor formed by the collector electrode, the dielectric layer, and the top surface of the substrate is transferred to the signal line.