Highly isolated photodetectors

US4488163A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Westinghouse Electric Company LLC · US

Inventors

• Nathan Bluzer · Rockville, US
• Alfred P. Turley · Ellicott City, US
• Francis J. Kub · Arnold, US
• Gerald M. Borsuk · Washington, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 19, 1981
• Grant date: Dec 11, 1984
• Expiry date: Jan 19, 2001

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10F39/197

Abstract

An array of photodetectors is described incorporating a PNP vertical structure in a monosilicon substrate with individual photodetectors optically and electrically isolated from one another by open or oxide filled grooves. Both PN junctions of the PNP structure or originally reverse biased with one junction acting as the photodetector may operate in the forward biased photovoltaic mode with high radiant energy intensity. The minority carriers injected into the N region are absorbed by the other PN junction providing base-collector transistor action to prevent blooming.