Photonic mixer device

US7361883B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• PMD TECHNOLOGIES AG · DE

Inventors

• Zhanping Xu · Sunnyvale, US
• Tobias Moller · Traben-Trarbach, DE
• Holger Kraft · Siegen, DE
• Jochen Frey · Wetzlar, DE
• Martin Albrecht · Lakewood, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 4, 2005
• Grant date: Apr 22, 2008
• Expiry date: Jul 22, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S17/894
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The present invention relates to a photonic mixer device with a photosensitive layer, at least two modulation gates (3, 4, 103, 104, 203, 204, 303, 304, 403, 404) and at least two readout electrodes (1, 2, 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 401, 402, 501, 502, 601, 602) connected to the photosensitive layer, the modulation gates (3, 4, 103, 104, 203, 204, 303, 304, 403, 404) being able to be connected to a modulation device which raises and lowers the potential of the modulation gates relative to one another and relative to the preferably constant potential of the readout electrodes corresponding to a desired modulation function. In order to further develop the known photonic mixer device such that it shows an increased charge conversion efficiency and reduced dark currents, it is proposed according to the invention that the readout electrodes (1, 2, 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 401, 402, 501, 502, 601, 602) in each case have at least two discrete electrode sections (1A-1E, 2A-2E) arranged at a distance alongside each other.