Dark current fixed pattern noise reduction for the 2/3-in two-million pixel HDTV STACK-CCD imager

The fixed pattern noise reduction methods, surrounding channel stop structure and the hole accumulation operation, are proposed and evaluated for the 2/3-in two-million pixel STACK-CCD HDTV imager. The surrounding channel stop structure is surrounded by the channel stop region to suppress the fluctuation of the mean dark current from Si-SiO/sub 2/ interface and the depletion layer of p-n junction. The measured fixed pattern note (FPN) and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio are improved from 45 electrons down to 19 electrons and from 49 dB up to 54 dB under the condition of F.8 and 2000 lux at 333 K, respectively. Therefore, the 2/3-in two-million pixel HDTV handy-type color camera with high S/N ratio and low FPN can be obtained.