Teledyne e2v marks this anniversary with a series of publications and highlights how the future is bright for CCDs in space, science and other demanding applications.
UK – Media OutReach – 26 February 2020 – From October 2019 through to January 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the CCD, a device that has transformed the understanding of physics, life sciences, the Earth, our solar system and beyond, and enriched our lives through digital photography.
Willard Boyle and George E. Smith invented the charge-coupled device (CCD) in 1969 in the United States at AT&T Bell Labs. In 1970, Boyle and Smith submitted a paper on their invention of the CCD to the Bell System Technical Journal.
Their original ideas for the CCD were to create a memory device. However, with the publication of Boyle and Smith’s research in 1970, other scientists began experimenting with the technology on a range of applications. Astronomers discovered that they could produce high-resolution images of distant objects because CCDs offered a photosensitivity one hundred times greater than film.
“The major thing is the quantum efficiency. You can get close to 80 percent quantum efficiency in a CCD,” George E. Smith would later explain.
Teledyne e2v will be marking the anniversary with the production and creation of a unique badge design, holding an event for its staff who have worked tirelessly on the development of the worlds most advanced CCD designs and a series of short publications:
- Teledyne Exploring the Universe Infographic
- Edit 7th Feb 2020: now available for download in three different sizes from our parent website Teledyne Imaging (link takes you to another site)
- Limited Edition Teledyne Exploring the Universe Booklet
- 50th Anniversary of the Invention of the CCD Device — information pamphlet
- Edit 7th Feb 2020: now available for download from our parent website Teledyne Imaging (link takes you to another site)
- How a CCD image sensor works — information pamphlet
- Edit 7th Feb 2020: now available for download from our parent website Teledyne Imaging (link takes you to another site)
- The Future is Bright for CCD Sensors — information pamphlet
- Edit 7th Feb 2020: now available for download from our parent website Teledyne Imaging (link takes you to another site)
- Limited Edition 50 years of the CCD pin badge
Dr Miles Adcock said: “It is incredible to think how the invention of the CCD 50-years ago would lead to not only a multi-billion dollar a year imaging industry but also that it enabled the understanding of the life-sciences we have today and the discovery of distant worlds.”
Teledyne e2v’s CCD fabrication facility is critical to the success and quality of future space science missions and remains committed to being the long-term supplier of high specification and quality devices for the world’s major space agencies and scientific instruments producers.
