CCD

Definition

Charge Coupled Device: One of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. When a picture is taken, the CCD is struck by light coming through the camera's lens. Each of the thousands or millions of tiny pixels that make up the CCD convert this light into electrons. The accumulated charge at each pixel is measured, then converted to a digital value. This last step occurs outside the CCD, in an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

Synonyms