Circuit for reading a line-transfer photosensitive device, a line-transfer photosensitive device incorporating said circuit and a method for reading said device

When the capacitance of the conductive columns of the line-transfer photosensitive device is higher than that of the photosensitive elements and of the read register, use is made of a reading circuit provided in the case of each conductive column with a plurality of charge storage capacitors separated by an MOS transistor. These MOS transistors operate in the saturating mode and pass signal charges derived from each conductive column from one capacitor to the next up to the read register. The storage capacitors have decreasing values as the distance from the read register becomes shorter. Transfer of the signal charges is accompanied by transfer of polarization charge quantities which decrease in value as the distance from the register becomes shorter. Once the transfer operations have been performed, these quantities of polarization charges are returned to their initial capacitors.