DARK CURRENT FIXED PATTERN NOISE-REDUCTION FOR THE 2 3-IN 2-MILLION PIXEL HDTV STACK-CCD IMAGER/

The fixed pattern noise reduction methods, surrounding channel stop st ructure and the hole accumulation operation, are proposed and evaluate d for the 2/3-in two-million pixel STACK-CCD HDTV imager. The surround ing channel stop structure is surrounded by the channel stop region to suppress the fluctuation of the mean dark current from Si-SiO2 interf ace and the depletion layer of p-n junction. The measured fixed patter n noise (FPN) and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio are improved from 45 ele ctrons do cvn to 19 electrons and from 49 dB up to 54 dB under the con dition 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.