Charge coupled device with meander channel and elongated, straight, parallel gate electrodes

Claim 1

A charge coupled device having a semiconductor substrate of predetermined conductivity type, said substrate having a surface, a pair of substantially band-shaped channel stops formed on the substrate surface and extending in spaced substantially parallel relation, said channel stops comprising a high impurity concentration layer of the predetermined conductivity type formed on said substrate surface, a charge transfer area of a uniform conductivity type bounded by the band-shaped channel stops, a plurality of short channel stops alternately extending from each of the band-shaped channel stops toward the center of the charge transfer area, each of the short channel stops terminating at a predetermined space from the opposing band-shaped channel stop, the short channel stops comprising the high impurity concentration layer of the predetermined conductivity type formed on said substrate surface in an interdigitated pattern with the channel stops, a plurality of cells each comprising a small area between next-adjacent short channel stops of a corresponding one of the band-shaped channel stops, said cells being staggered along said charge coupled device, means for forming an asymmetrical depletion layer in each of said cells in a regular arrangement to determine a transfer direction of the charge, a film of electrically insulative material covering the charge transfer area, and a pair of elongated substantially straight parallel gate electrodes over said insulative film, one of said gate electrodes commonly covering the cells of one of the band-shaped channel stops and the other of said gate electrodes commonly covering the cells of the other of the band-shaped channel stops thereby forming a single directional meander-shaped charge transfer channel of said uniform conductivity type in the charge transfer area under said pair of gate electrodes free from any other electrode, said gate electrodes having a side; and a signal device at the side of said gate electrodes and providing a connection path for a signal charge through said one of said band-shaped channel stops, thereby eliminating electrode crossover.