Semiconductor radiation detectors with intrinsic avalanche multiplication in self-limiting mode of operation
US5880490A · kind A · utility
12Cited by
24References
47Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 28, 1997 |
| Grant date | Mar 9, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 28, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10F30/29
Abstract
The disclosed invention includes an apparatus and method for detecting radiation in a detector. The radiation to be detected ionizes the atoms in the intrinsic silicon lattice of the detector to produce a small signal of freed elections. The small signal is then amplified by avalanche multiplication in a self-limiting manner by preventing the amplified electrons from traveling through a resistive layer, thereby reducing the electric field to limit the avalanche multiplication. An imaging system incorporating the new detector design is also disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.