The charge-coupled device (CCD) was invented in the late 1960s by researchers at Bell Labs. Originally conceived as a new type of computer memory circuit, it soon became apparent that the CCD had other potential applications, including imaging because of silicon's light sensitivity.
Like the engine of a car, the CCD sensor in a digital camera acts as the primary tool to capture an image. In its most elementary form, the CCD sensor is like the camera's "electronic eye": collecting light and converting it to charge, and subsequently emitting the signal that results in a digital image