Robust near infrared sensing device
AssigneeTower Semiconductor Ltd.
InventorsYakov Roizin, Pikhay Evgeny, Niv Mizrahi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A robust near infrared sensing device and method for operating of robust near infrared device, the method includes (i) exposing a first side edge of the device to near infrared (NIR) radiation; (ii) detecting by a NIR PIN diode (NPD), the NIR radiation, while operating at a fully depletion mode, (iii) collecting, by guard PIN diodes positioned at different sides of the NPD and while operating in the fully depletion mode, electron-hole pairs generated by unwanted radiation from any side of different sides of the near infrared PIN diode, and preventing these electron-hole pairs from any side of NPD to reach the NPD.
Claims20
A robust near infrared sensing device, comprising:
- an near infrared PIN diode that is located at a lateral position that corresponds to an absorption depth of an near infrared wavelength;
- wherein the near infrared PIN diode, once operated in a fully depletion mode, is configured to collect electron-hole pairs generated by near infrared radiation of the near infrared wavelength that passes through a first side edge of the robust near infrared sensing device and having an absorption depth that corresponds to a lateral position of the near infrared PIN diode;
- and
- a first guard PIN diode that is located at a first lateral distance from the first side edge, the first lateral distance exceeds an absorption depth of a first unwanted radiation that enters through the first side edge;
- wherein once operated in the fully depletion mode, the first guard PIN diode is configured to collect first electron-hole pairs generated by the first unwanted radiation, and to prevent the first electron-hole pairs to reach the near infrared PIN diode;
- wherein the first unwanted radiation is at least one of first visible light radiation and first ultraviolet radiation;
- a second guard PIN diode that is located at a second lateral distance from a second side edge of the robust near infrared sensing device, the second lateral distance exceeds an absorption depth of a second unwanted radiation that enters through the second side edge;
- wherein once operated in the fully depletion mode, the second guard PIN diode is configured to collect second electron-hole pairs generated by the second unwanted radiation, and to prevent the second electron-hole pairs to reach the near infrared PIN diode;
- wherein the second unwanted radiation is at least one of second visible light radiation and second ultraviolet radiation.
A method for operating a robust near infrared sensing device, the method comprising:
- exposing a first side edge of the robust near infrared sensing device to near infrared radiation;
- detecting by a near infrared PIN diode of the robust near infrared, the near infrared radiation, while the near infrared diode operated at a fully depletion mode;
- wherein the near infrared PIN diode is located at a lateral position that corresponds to an absorption depth of an near infrared wavelength;
- wherein the detecting comprises collecting by the near infrared PIN diode, electron-hole pairs generated by the near infrared radiation;
- collecting, by guard PIN diodes positioned at different sides of the near infrared PIN diode and while operating in the fully depletion mode, electron-hole pairs generated by unwanted radiation from any side of different sides of the near infrared PIN diode;
- and
- preventing, by the by guard PIN diodes, the electron-hole pairs generated by the unwanted radiation from any side of the different sides of the near infrared PIN diode to reach the near infrared PIN diode, wherein the unwanted radiation comprises visible light radiation and ultraviolet radiation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.