1/4-Inch Super HAD CCD
Color Image Sensor
Super
HAD CCD
ICX206AK (NTSC), ICX207AK (PAL)
ICX208AK (NTSC), ICX209AK (PAL)
The 1/4-inch CCD has become the mainstream image sensing
device in camcorders and medical electronic endoscopes.
Even higher image quality and an ever higher signal-to-noise
ratio are desired in these applications.
By adopting the "Super HAD CCD* technology", the Sony
ICX206AK, ICX207AK, ICX208AK, and ICX209AK provide signifi-
cant increases in sensitivity and saturation signal levels when
compared to previous 1/4-inch CCD products and achieve speci-
fications that achieve the industry's highest level for this type
of device.
These specifications mean that it is now possible to take
advantage of the miniaturization possible with 1/4-inch optical
systems and also achieve further improvements in image
quality and signal-to-noise ratio.
The ICX206AK (NTSC) and
ICX207AK (PAL) are 250,000/
290,000-pixel CCDs for 1/4-inch opti-
cal system color video cameras and are
upwardly compatibly replacements for
the current ICX086AK and ICX087AK
products. The ICX208AK (NTSC) and
ICX209AK (PAL) are 380,000/
440,000-pixel CCDs for 1/4-inch
optical system high image quality color
video cameras and are upwardly com-
patibly replacements for the current
ICX068AK and ICX069AK products.
All of these products feature compat-
ibility with previous devices and signifi-
cantly improved characteristics.
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For use with 1/4-inch optical systems
Sensitivity increased by 4 dB over pre-
vious Sony products by the adoption
of Super HAD CCD technology
Saturation signal level increased by 2
dB over previous 1/4-inch CCDs
Compatibility with previous 1/4-inch
CCDs maintained
Horizontal register and reset gate drive
voltage reduced to 3.0 V (minimum)
*
SuperHADCCDisaregisteredtrademarkofSonyCorporation.
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The development concept behind
these devices was "the ultimate
1/4-inch CCD." These devices
incorporate all the technology
fostered in the development of
Sony CCDs so as to leave no
possibility for competition. In par-
ticular, Sony's Super HAD CCD
technology contributed a large
increase in sensitivity allowing
these devices to achieve the
industry's highest sensitivity, even
surpassing 1/3-inch CCDs.
Improved Sensitivity
Due to the reduction in size of the
optical system, the amount of incident
light to each pixel is reduced.
Although we improved the focusing
efficiency of the microlenses and
optimized the pixel structure in previous
1/4-inch CCD products, these products
were still not focusing all the incident
light. (See figure 1.) The Super HAD
CCD technology now developed
minimizes this loss of incident light. The
shape of the microlenses was optimized
to minimize the unused areas between
the microlenses that existed in previous
devices. This resulted in a 30% increase
in focusing efficiency. (See figure 2.)
This, in combination with the adoption
of a large number of other new tech-
nologies, resulted in the achievement of
a total increase of +4 dB in the sensitiv-
ity of Super HAD CCDs as compared
to previous devices, without a degrada-
tion in the signal-to-noise ratio. This
allows these devices to provide a higher
sensitivity than 1/3-inch CCDs, despite
being 1/4-inch CCDs. (See tables 1 and
2.)
Increased Saturation
Signal Level
The amount of charge handled was
increased by optimizing the impurity
profile in the charge transfer block, and
the saturation signal level was increased
by 25% over previous 1/4-inch CCDs,
and a saturation signal level that exceeds
that of 1/3-inch CCDs is assured. This
allowed the signal-to-noise ratio, which
is critical for image quality, to be
increased.
Reduced Power Consumption
The drive voltage for the horizontal
register and the reset gate was reduced
to 3.0 V (minimum), making it lower
than that in previous products. This
allowed the power consumption to be
reduced by up to 15%.
Drive Circuits
The pin arrangement in these products
is the same as that used in previous 1/4-
inch CCD products. Circuits used with
previous 1/4-inch CCD products can be
used simply by omitting certain
components in the reset gate drive
block. The horizontal register and reset
gate drive voltages were unified and
reduced. This can contribute to simpli-
fying the peripheral circuits. (See
figure 3.)
SONY [ SONY CORPORATION ]
