Static induction transistor image sensors

New image sensors, based on the operational principle of static induction transistor (SIT), are described in this paper. Two operational modes of SIT image sensors are described here. One is the electron-accumulation mode in which electrons are stored in the floating-cell region and another is the electron-depletion mode in which electrons are removed from the floating-cell region in response to optical input. The electron-depletion mode is superior to the electron-accumulation mode in the charge retention characteristics, its temperature dependence, and the operational tolerancy. The described SIT image sensors, which utilize the vertically configured SITM structure, are very promising for application in very-large-area image converters due to high-speed high-packing density, and wide dynamic range, and especially due to extremely low power dissipation.