One-dimensional CCD sensor with overflow arrangement

Claim 1

An optoelectronic sensor comprising: a doped semiconductor body of first conductivity type; a row of sensor elements arranged on the semiconductor body comprising metal-insulator-semiconductor MIS capacitor means for the collection of optically generated minority carriers; said sensor elements being separated from one another by first means for providing a potential threshold for the minority carriers in the semiconductor body; at least one shift register formed of further MIS capacitors on each side of the sensor row; transfer gate electrodes arranged laterally at the sensor elements and which alternately connect the sensor elements with a capacitor of the two shift registers by charge-coupling; adjacent each sensor element the surface of the semiconductor body having an overflow area of second conductivity type which extends to a side of the sensor element opposite the corresponding transfer gate; the overflow areas being contacted with an overflow electrode via windows in an insulation layer over the overflow areas; second means for providing a smaller potential threshold for the minority carriers between the overflow areas and the sensor elements in comparison to the potential threshold between the sensor elements themselves; said insulation layer and an electrode layer forming sensor electrodes of the sensor MIS capacitors extending over the sensor element row; and said electrode layer of the sensor electrodes also forming the overflow electrodes.