Appeal No. 1998-3135 Page 2
Application No. 08/789,519
BACKGROUND
The appellants’ invention relates to a charge-to-voltage
converter having an adjustable conversion factor. An
understanding of the invention can be derived from a reading
of exemplary claim 5, which is reproduced as follows:
5. A charge-to-voltage converter of a floating diffusion
output type for producing a signal voltage by injecting signal
charge packets transferred from a charge transfer region into
a floating diffusion region via an output gate, said converter
comprising:
a precharge drain region supplied with a reset voltage;
a floating diffusion region; said floating diffusion
region being separated from said precharge drain region by a
first channel region and a second channel region, with said
second channel region being isolated from said floating
diffusion region by said first channel region;
a first precharge gate electrode formed over said first
channel region;
a second precharge gate electrode formed over said second
channel region;
the charge-to-voltage conversion factor being selectively
changed in response to gate voltages selectively applied to
said first and second precharge gate electrodes; and
said floating diffusion region being connected only to
said output gate, said first precharge gate and an output
terminal.
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