Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor photodetector that causes avalanche multiplication to occur only at photodetector portion located at central portion of mesa structure

US7875946B2 · kind B2 · utility

6Cited by
8References
18Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateOct 27, 2005
Grant dateJan 25, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 27, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10F77/413

Abstract

In order to improve reliability by preventing edge breakdown in a semiconductor photodetector having a mesa structure such as a mesa APD, the semiconductor photodetector includes a mesa structure formed on a first semiconductor layer of the first conduction type formed on a semiconductor substrate, the mesa structure including a light absorbing layer for absorbing light, an electric field buffer layer for dropping an electric field intensity, an avalanche multiplication layer for causing avalanche multiplication to occur, and a second semiconductor layer of the second conduction type, wherein the thickness of the avalanche multiplication layer at the portion in the vicinity of the side face of the mesa structure is made thinner than the thickness at the central portion of the mesa structure.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.