Large photodetector array
US5712499A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 8, 1995 |
| Grant date | Jan 27, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 8, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2224/92244
Abstract
A photodetector arrangement capable of detecting high-power-light flux and including a set of elementary photodetectors each one of which is individually tested to determine that it has no defects. Each of the photodetectors which is found to be free of objectionable defects is connected in parallel to a common conducting line to thus produce a combined output when radiation impinges on the detector surface. The connection can be hard wired or provided through a set of transistors acting as connection control intermediaries between the good photodetectors and the common conducting line. The active areas of only good photodetectors are thus combined to form a large photodetector area of any desired shape or size without the usual reliability problems. The selective control of the transistors can further be provided by auxiliary control photodetectors to additionally automatically control the size of the active area in response to the area of light being detected or a control light beam.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.