Essential Guide to Semiconductors, The

Advanced Analog Components

Digital components aren't the only ones that are integrated into larger ICs. Analog components, too, have been combined in interesting ways. Some, like charge-coupled device (CCD) arrays, open up new kinds of markets and products once they're integrated. Others, like micro-electrical mechanical sensors (MEMS), seem just plain weird at first glance.

CCD Image Sensors

CCD image sensors form the basis of digital cameras and other interesting image-recognition products. A CCD image sensor is a chip with individual light sensors arranged in a square pattern, or array, like tiles on a bathroom floor. The image sensor might have 100 “tiles” across and 100 up and down, or it might have thousands in each direction. Each individual ...