V-groove (VMOS) conductively connected charge coupled devices

A new Conductively Connected Charge Coupled (C4D) device is described. This structure achieves directionality of charge transfer using a barrier existing at the apex of a V-groove anisotropically etched into the silicon. The design of the device is discussed and the properties of the barrier are determined from a numerical solution of Poisson's equation. The feasibility of the structure is demonstrated experimentally by operating fabricated devices as digital shift registers. The structure has many advantages. The barrier can be obtained using simple processing techniques and its small dimensions may allow an increase in packing density. Furthermore, the structure has a built-in bias charge which always transfers to the receiving well irrespective of whether a charge packet is present or not.