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Correlated sampling amplifier

  • US 4,717,830 A
  • Filed: 07/18/1986
  • Issued: 01/05/1988
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1986
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An amplifier comprising:

  • a charge-coupled device formed of a semiconductor material and having an input terminal, and a controlled terminal;

    means coupled to said input terminal for pulsing said device with a sequence of pulses;

    switch means coupling an input signal to said control terminal, said switch means operating in synchronism with said pulsing means for connecting and disconnecting said input signal from said control terminal with successive ones of said pulses of said pulsing means;

    each of said pulses including a charge which propagates along said charge-coupled device from said input terminal past said control terminal, the magnitude of each such charge being dependent on the magnitude of an input signal applied to said control terminal by said switching means;

    alternating action of said switching means resulting in two interleaved sequences of charges wherein the charges of one of said charge sequences have a reference value, and the charges of a second of said charge sequences have a value equal to the sum of said reference value plus an increment induced by said input signal;

    first integration means;

    second integration means;

    gate means synchronized with said pulsing means for gating charges of said first and said second charge sequences respectively to said first and said second integration means, said first integration means integrating values of charge of said first sequence to provide a first integrated signal, said second integration means integrating values of charge of said second sequence to provide a second integration signal; and

    substraction means coupled between said first and said integration means for providing a difference between said first and said second integration signals, said difference having data carried by said input signal and being substantially free of drift associated with said semiconductor material of said charge-coupled device.

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