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US 2010/0301441 A1Published application
Photodiode with high esd threshold
AssigneeJDS Uniphase Corporation
InventorsZhong PAN, David Venables
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photodetector with an improved electrostatic discharge damage threshold is disclosed, suitable for applications in telecommunication systems operating at elevated data rates. The photodetector may be a PIN or an APD fabricated in the InP compound semiconductor system. The increased ESD damage threshold is achieved by reducing the ESD induced current density in the photodetector by a suitable widening of the contact at a critical location, increasing the series resistance and promoting lateral current spreading by means of a current spreading layer.
Claims15
A photodiode, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate;
- a n-type buffer layer supported on an upper surface of the InP semiconductor substrate;
- an intrinsic absorption layer on the buffer layer for absorbing light incident on a top surface of the photodiode;
- a window layer on the absorption layer for transmitting the incident light to the absorption layer;
- a dielectric layer on the window layer for providing passivation;
- a circular p-type region extending from a top surface of the window layer into the absorption layer for forming a p-n junction therein;
- an annular metal contact on the window layer within the periphery of the circular p-type region for making a contact with the p-type region through a contact region;
- a bond pad on the dielectric layer, remote from the p-type region, for making an external connection to the photodiode;
- and
- a metal link connecting the bond pad to the annular metal contact;
- wherein the contact region comprises an annular section and an expanded section at the intersection of the metal link and the annular metal contact;
- and
- wherein the expanded section has an area at least twice that of the annular section of the contact region.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.