Charge-coupled devices (CCD)

When Sangster and Teer invented "bucket chains" – Bucket-Brigade – in 1969, they probably had no idea of the door they were opening with the appearance of this new type of component. Indeed, in 1970, Boyle and Smith published their first results on charge-coupled devices (CCDs), based on parallel and conceptually very similar work. These circuits were to enable the extraordinary development of electronic imaging, and bring it within the reach of as many people as possible, thanks to the "camcorder" and then the digital "camera".

Indeed, it was on the basis of these devices that a whole generation of electronic circuits was progressively developed, from the simple analog delay line or analog multiplexer, to the most powerful imagers used both in "consumer" applications and in on-board satellite cameras, not forgetting document analysis and transmission machines, better known under the name of "facsimile", industrial cameras and medical radiography...

After recalling some of the concepts needed to understand the physical phenomena involved in these devices, we'll examine their operation in the various devices mentioned above, with a particular focus on imaging applications. We will then describe the performance of these components in their various architectures.