Charge-coupled device

A charge-coupled device (CCD) is an analog shift register that enables the transportation of analog signals (electric charges) through successive stages (capacitors), controlled by a clock signal. Charge-coupled devices can be used as a form of memory or for delaying samples of analog signals.

Today, they are most widely used in arrays of photoelectric light sensors to serialize parallel analog signals. Not all image sensors use CCD technology; for example, CMOS chips are also commercially available.