Charge-coupled device

A semiconductor device that moves packets of electrical charge between adjacent storage sites. CCDs convert light into charge and are widely used as image sensors.

Photoelectric effect: The release or generation of electrical charge when light interacts with matter. In a CCD, absorbed photons generate electron–hole pairs that supply the image charge.
MOS capacitor: A metal–oxide–semiconductor structure whose applied voltage controls charge in an underlying semiconductor. Clocked MOS structures create the potential wells that store and transfer CCD charge.
Digital camera: A camera that records images as digital data using an electronic image sensor. CCDs served as image sensors in many early and specialized digital cameras.
Active-pixel sensor: An image sensor whose pixels contain active circuitry for local signal amplification or readout. Unlike a CCD, an active-pixel sensor reads signals locally instead of shifting charge across the array.
Pixel: A discrete picture element representing a sample in a digital image. Each CCD pixel collects charge proportional to the light reaching its photosensitive area.
Semiconductor: A material whose electrical conductivity lies between that of a conductor and an insulator and can be controlled. CCD charge storage and transport depend on controllable carrier populations in semiconductor material.
Astronomical imaging: The recording and analysis of images of celestial objects and phenomena. High sensitivity and stable response made CCDs standard detectors in optical astronomy.
CMOS image sensor: An image sensor built with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor circuitry, usually using active pixels. CMOS sensors often use less power and integrate more electronics than charge-transferring CCDs.
Charge transfer efficiency: The fraction of charge successfully transferred from one storage site to the next. Imperfect transfers leave charge behind and can distort faint or repeated signals.
Silicon: A chemical element widely used as the base material for electronic devices. Most CCD image sensors use silicon, where visible photons generate mobile electrons.

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