Dynamic range improvement by narrow-channel effect suppression and smear reduction technologies in small pixel IT-CCD image sensors

Technologies for narrow-channel effect suppression in photodiodes (PDs) and vertical CCDs (V-CCDs) and for smear reduction in PDs have been developed in order to improve dynamic range in small pixel interline-transfer CCD (IT-CCD) image sensors. The new technologies have been applied to a progressive-scan IT-CCD image sensor with 5 /spl mu/m square pixels and have (1) increased the charge handling capability of its V-CCDs to 4500 electrons/V; (2) improved its smear value to -95 dB; and (3) increased the saturation charge of its PDs to 2.3/spl times/10/sup 4/ electrons.