Circuit with a sensor and non-volatile memory having a ferroelectric dielectric capacitor

The present invention relates to a circuit arrangement having a sensor and a storage means for the nonvolatile storage of a charge delivered by the sensor. A circuit includes a sensor delivering a charge, a capacitor non-volatilely storing the charge, and a read and reset circuit reading out the stored charge. The capacitor has further connection terminals connected to the read and reset circuit and in parallel with the sensor terminals, and a ferroelectric storage dielectric intermittently connected to the sensor. The sensor can be a photodiode, a phototransistor, a Hall sensor, or a thermoelement. A switch can be connected between one of the further terminals and one of the sensor terminals. Preferably, the switch is a transistor and a drive circuit drives it. The sensor and the capacitor are formed in a semiconductor body. During a storage procedure, time periods during which the switch is on are coordinated with the sensor and/or capacitor to keep an electrical field present between the further terminals below a maximum value at which the ferroelectric dielectric saturates.