Surface charge correlator

Claim 2

Signal processing apparatus comprising: a substrate of semiconductor material having a major surface, first means forming a plurality of first charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, second means forming a plurality of second charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, each separated from a respective first charge storage region by a respective intermediate region and forming a respective charge storage cell therewith, said first means including a plurality of first electrodes, each first electrode insulatingly overlying a respective first charge storage region, said first electrodes being interconnected, said second means including a plurality of second electrodes, each insulatingly overlying a respective second charge storage region, means for developing a series of voltage waveforms, each of said waveforms including a series of cycles, each cycle having a duration equal to the sum of first and second periods, each period constituted of first and second subperiods, each waveform of said series being the same as the preceding voltage waveform of said series except delayed by one cycle, means for introducing quantities of charge into selected ones of said first charge storage regions of said cells during selected first subperiods of first periods of said waveforms, each quantity of charge being proportional to a respective sample of a time-varying analog signal and introduced into a respective first charge storage region, means for applying each of said waveforms to a respective one of the second electrodes of said cells, a high absolute level of a waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the first storage region thereof to transfer to the second storage region thereof and a low absolute level of said waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the second storage region thereof to transfer to the first storage region thereof, each of said waveforms having a low absolute level during a first subperiod and an absolute level which is either high or low during a succeeding second subperiod in response to a respective reference signal, whereby charge in each cell is transferred between said first and second charge storage regions thereof in a time sequence determined by a respective reference signal, means connected in circuit with said first storage electrodes for sensing the total net charge transferred to and from said first charge storage regions during a common period of said voltage waveforms.

Claim 3

Signal correlator apparatus comprising: a substrate of semiconductor material having a major surface, first means forming a plurality of first charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, second means forming a plurality of second charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, each separated from a respective first charge storage region by a respective intermediate region and forming a respective charge storage cell therewith, said first means including a plurality of first electrodes, each first electrode insulatingly overlying a respective first charge storage region, said first electrodes being interconnected, said second means including a plurality of second electrodes, each insulatingly overlying a respective second charge storage region, means for providing a reference word having a series of successive elements, generating means for developing a series of voltage waveforms in response to said reference word including a series of cycles, each cycle having a duration equal to the sum of first and second periods, each period constituted of first and second subperiods, each waveform of said series being the same as the preceding waveform of said series except delayed by one cycle, means for introducing into each of successive ones of said first charge storage regions of said cells during first subperiods of first periods of said waveforms a respective one of successive quantities of charge, each quantity of charge being proportional to a respective sample of a time-varying analog signal, means for applying each of said voltage waveforms to a respective one of the second electrodes of said cells, a high absolute level of a waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the first storage region thereof to transfer to the second storage region thereof and a low absolute level of said waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the second storage region thereof to transfer to the first storage region thereof, each of said waveforms having a low absolute level during a first subperiod and an absolute level which is either high or low during a succeeding second subperiod in response to a respective element of said reference word, whereby charge in each cell is transferred between said first and second charge storage regions thereof in a time sequence determined by a respective element of said reference word, means connected in circuit with said first storage electrodes for sensing the total net charge transferred to and from said first charge storage regions during a common period of said voltage waveform.

Claim 4

Signal correlator apparatus comprising: a substrate of semiconductor material having a major surface, first means forming a plurality of first charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, second means forming a plurality of second charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, each separated from a respective first charge storage region by a respective intermediate region and forming a respective charge storage cell therewith, said first means including a plurality of first electrodes, each first electrode insulatingly overlying a respective first charge storage region, said first electrodes being interconnected, said second means including a plurality of second electrodes, each insulatingly overlying a respective second charge storage region, means for providing a reference word having a series of successive elements, generating means for developing a series of voltage waveforms in response to said reference word including a series of cycles, each cycle having a duration equal to the sum of first and second periods, each period constituted of first and second subperiods, each waveform of said series being the same as the preceding waveform of said series except delayed by one cycle, means for introducing into each of successive ones of said first charge storage regions of said cells during first subperiods of first periods of said waveforms a respective one of successive quantities of charge, each quantity of charge being proportional to a respective sample of a time-varying analog signal, means for applying each of said voltage waveforms to a respective one of the second electrodes of said cells, a high absolute level of a waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the first storage region thereof to transfer to the second storage region thereof and a low absolute level of said waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the second storage region thereof to transfer to the first storage region thereof, each of said waveforms having a low absolute level during a first subperiod and an absolute level which is either high or low during a succeeding second subperiod in response to a respective element of said reference word, whereby charge in each cell is transferred between said first and second charge storage regions thereof in a time sequence determined by a respective element of said reference word, means connected in circuit with said first storage electrodes for sensing the total net charge transferred to and from said first charge storage regions during a common period of said voltage waveform.

Claim 5

The correlator apparatus of claim 2 in which each element of said reference word has one of a first value and a second value in which in response to an element of said first value said generator develops a voltage waveform having a low absolute level during a first subperiod of a first period, a high absolute level during a second subperiod of said first period, and a low absolute level during a succeeding second period, and in which in response to an element of said second value said generator develops a voltage waveform having a low absolute level during a first period, a low absolute level during a first subperiod of a succeeding second period and a high absolute level during a second subperiod of said second period, whereby during said second period a signal of one polarity is developed on said first electrodes in response to an element of said first value and a signal of the opposite polarity is developed on said first electrodes in response to an element of said second value.

Claim 6

The correlator apparatus of claim 2 in which each element of said reference word has one of a first value, a second value and a third value intermediate between said first value and said second value, in which in response to an element of said first value said generator develops a voltage waveform having a low absolute level during a first subperiod of a first period, a high absolute level during a second subperiod of said first period, and a low absolute level during a succeeding second period, and in which in response to an element of said second value said generator develops a voltage waveform having a low absolute level during a first period, a low absolute level during a first subperiod of a succeeding second period and a high absolute level during a second subperiod of said second period, and in which in response to an element of said third value said generator develops a voltage waveform having a low absolute level during first subperiods of first and second successive periods thereof and substantially identical levels during the second subperiods of said first and second successive periods thereof, whereby during said second period a signal of one polarity is developed on said first electrodes in response to an element of said first value, a signal of the opposite polarity is developed on said first electrodes in response to an element of said second value, and a signal of zero value is developed on said first electrodes in response to an element of said third value.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 3 in which said generating means includes a shift register having a plurality of stages, in which said reference word is in Manchester Code in which an element of one value is represented by a first level followed by a second level and an element of the other value is represented by said second level followed by said first level, in which each element of said reference word is stored in a respective pair of successive stages of said shift register, in which each of alternate stages of said shift register is coupled to a respective second electrode, and in which means are provided for shifting each element of said reference word in said shift register from a respective pair of stages to the next succeeding pair of stages at the periodicity of said voltage waveform.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5 in which said shift register is a charge transfer shift register, and in which is provided a plurality of logic signal inverting circuits, each having an input connected to a respective one of successive pairs of stages and an output connected to a respective second electrode.

Claim 9

Signal correlator apparatus comprising: a substrate of semiconductor material having a major surface, first means forming a first plurality of first charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate; second means forming a first plurality of second charge storage adjacent said major surface of said substrate, each separated from a respective first charge storage region by a respective intermediate region and forming a respective charge storage cell of a first plurality therewith, said second means including a first plurality of first electrodes, each first electrode insulatingly overlying a respective first charge storage region, said first electrodes being interconnected, said second means including a first plurality of second electrodes, each insulatingly overlying a respective second charge storage region, means for providing a reference word having a series of successive elements, generating means for developing a series of voltage waveforms in response to said reference word including a series of cycles, each cycle having a duration equal to the sum of first and second periods, each period constituted of first and second subperiods, each waveform of said series being the same as the preceding waveform of said series except delayed by one cycle, means for introducing into each of successive ones of said first charge storage regions of said cells during first subperiods of first periods of said waveforms a respective one of successive quantities of charge, each quantity of charge being proportional to a respective sample of a first time-varying analog signal, means for applying each of said voltage waveforms generated by said generating means to a respective one of the second electrodes of said cells of said first plurality, a high absolute level of a waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the first storage region thereof to transfer to the second storage region thereof and a low absolute level of said waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the second storage region thereof to transfer to the first storage region thereof, each of said waveforms having a low absolute level during a first subperiod and an absolute level which is either high or low during a succeeding second subperiod in response to a respective element of said reference word, whereby charge in each cell is transferred between said first and second charge storage regions thereof in a time sequence determined by a respective element of said reference word, means connected in circuit with said first storage electrodes of said first plurality for sensing the total net charge transferred to and from said first charge storage regions during a common period of said voltage waveform, third means forming a second plurality of first charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, fourth means forming a second plurality of second charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, each separated from a respective first charge storage region by respective intermediate region and forming a respective charge storage cell of a second plurality therewith, said third means including a second plurality of first electrodes, each first electrode insulatingly overlying a respective first charge storage region, said first electrodes being interconnected, said fourth means including a second plurality of second electrodes, each insulatingly overlying a respective second charge storage region, means for introducing into each of successive ones of said first charge storage regions of said cells during first subperiods of first periods of said waveforms a respective one of successive quantities of charge, each quantity of charge being proportional to a respective sample of a second time-varying analog signal, means for applying each of said voltage waveforms generated by said generating means to a respective one of the second electrodes of said cells of said second plurality, a high absolute level of a waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the first storage region thereof to transfer to the second storage region thereof and a low absolute level of said waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the second storage region thereof to transfer to the first storage region thereof, each of said waveforms having a low absolute level during a first subperiod and an absolute level which is either high or low during a succeeding second subperiod in response to a respective element of said reference word, whereby charge in each cell is transferred between said first and second charge storage regions thereof in a time sequence determined by a respective element of said reference word, means connected in circuit with said first storage electrodes of said second plurality for sensing the total net charge transferred to and from said first charge storage regions during a common period of said voltage waveform.

Claim 10

Signal correlator apparatus comprising: a substrate of semiconductor material having a major surface, first means forming a first plurality of first charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate; second means forming a first plurality of second charge storage adjacent said major surface of said substrate, each separated from a respective first charge storage region by a respective intermediate region and forming a respective charge storage cell of a first plurality therewith, said second means including a first plurality of first electrodes, each first electrode insulatingly overlying a respective first charge storage region, said first electrodes being interconnected, said second means including a first plurality of second electrodes, each insulatingly overlying a respective second charge storage region, means for providing a reference word having a series of successive elements, generating means for developing a series of voltage waveforms in response to said reference word including a series of cycles, each cycle having a duration equal to the sum of first and second periods, each period constituted of first and second subperiods, each waveform of said series being the same as the preceding waveform of said series except delayed by one cycle, means for introducing into each of successive ones of said first charge storage regions of said cells during first subperiods of first periods of said waveforms a respective one of successive quantities of charge, each quantity of charge being proportional to a respective sample of a first time-varying analog signal, means for applying each of said voltage waveforms generated by said generating means to a respective one of the second electrodes of said cells of said first plurality, a high absolute level of a waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the first storage region thereof to transfer to the second storage region thereof and a low absolute level of said waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the second storage region thereof to transfer to the first storage region thereof, each of said waveforms having a low absolute level during a first subperiod and an absolute level which is either high or low during a succeeding second subperiod in response to a respective element of said reference word, whereby charge in each cell is transferred between said first and second charge storage regions thereof in a time sequence determined by a respective element of said reference word, means connected in circuit with said first storage electrodes of said first plurality for sensing the total net charge transferred to and from said first charge storage regions during a common period of said voltage waveform, third means forming a second plurality of first charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, fourth means forming a second plurality of second charge storage regions adjacent said major surface of said substrate, each separated from a respective first charge storage region by respective intermediate region and forming a respective charge storage cell of a second plurality therewith, said third means including a second plurality of first electrodes, each first electrode insulatingly overlying a respective first charge storage region, said first electrodes being interconnected, said fourth means including a second plurality of second electrodes, each insulatingly overlying a respective second charge storage region, means for introducing into each of successive ones of said first charge storage regions of said cells during first subperiods of first periods of said waveforms a respective one of successive quantities of charge, each quantity of charge being proportional to a respective sample of a second time-varying analog signal, means for applying each of said voltage waveforms generated by said generating means to a respective one of the second electrodes of said cells of said second plurality, a high absolute level of a waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the first storage region thereof to transfer to the second storage region thereof and a low absolute level of said waveform applied to a second electrode of a cell causing charge in the second storage region thereof to transfer to the first storage region thereof, each of said waveforms having a low absolute level during a first subperiod and an absolute level which is either high or low during a succeeding second subperiod in response to a respective element of said reference word, whereby charge in each cell is transferred between said first and second charge storage regions thereof in a time sequence determined by a respective element of said reference word, means connected in circuit with said first storage electrodes of said second plurality for sensing the total net charge transferred to and from said first charge storage regions during a common period of said voltage waveform.