ROOM-TEMPERATURE-OPERATED INFRARED IMAGE CCD SENSOR USING PYROELECTRIC GATE COUPLED BY DIELECTRIC CONNECTOR

A room-temperature-operated infrared (IR) image sensor having 64 x 32 infrared-sensitive MOS gates has been developed by combining a pyroelectric thin plate with a Si-CCD by dielectric coupling. A pyroelectric plate is bounded to the Si CCD with an organic dielectric, and controls the Si surface potential of the MOS gate. The ability of the pyroelectric MOS gate to control the Si surface potential as a function of the IR signal has been analyzed by taking account of both electrical charge and heat transfer. From this analysis, the design of the infrared sensing element was optimized. The pyoelectric materials used for the MOS gate were LiTaO3 and PZT, and the organic dielectrics used were glycerin, di-n-butyl sulfone, nitroaniline, and P(VDF-TrFE). The basic characteristics of the pyroelectric gate of the CCD have been obtained for several combinations of the pyroelectric and organic dielectric materials.