# US 2013/0153953 A1 · Optically triggered semiconductor device and method for making the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0153953 A1 - Document ID: US20130153953A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/328,796 - Filed: 2011-12-16 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-16 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Inventors: Ahmed Elasser; Arthur Stephen Daley; Alexey Vert; Stanislav I. Soloviev; Peter Almern Losee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130153953A1 ## CPC - H10F 30/263: {Photothyristors} - H10D 18/00: Thyristors - H10D 84/676: {Combinations of only thyristors} - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES ## Abstract A thyristor device includes a semiconductor body and a conductive anode. The semiconductor body has a plurality of doped layers forming a plurality of dopant junctions and includes an optical thyristor, a first amplifying thyristor, and a switching thyristor. The conductive anode is disposed on a first side of the semiconductor body. The optical thyristor is configured to receive incident radiation to generate a first electric current, and the first amplifying thyristor is configured to increase the first electric current from the optical thyristor to at least a threshold current. The switching thyristor switches to the conducting state in order to conduct a second electric current from the anode and through the semiconductor body. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device comprising: a semiconductor body having a plurality of doped layers forming a plurality of dopant junctions, the semiconductor body including an optical thyristor, a first amplifying thyristor, and a switching thyristor; and a conductive anode disposed on a first side of the semiconductor body; and wherein the optical thyristor is configured to receive incident radiation to generate a first electric current, and the first amplifying thyristor is configured to increase the first electric current from the optical thyristor to at least a threshold current, and wherein the switching thyristor switches to the conducting state in order to conduct a second electric current from the anode and through the semiconductor body. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor body includes a first isolation region disposed between the optical thyristor and at least one of the first amplifying thyristor or the switching thyristor, the first isolation region configured to prevent the second electric current flowing from the anode from switching the optical thyristor to the conducting state by suppressing conduction of the second electric current. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, wherein the switching thyristor includes a first gate that is configured to receive the first electric current and turn the optical thyristor to the conducting state, and the first isolation region is configured to suppress conduction of the second electric current from the anode to the first gate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, wherein the doped layers of the semiconductor body include a first layer doped with a first dopant, a second base layer doped with an oppositely charged, second dopant and coupled with the first layer, a third base layer doped with the first dopant and coupled with the second base layer, and a fourth layer doped with the second dopant and coupled with the third base layer and the anode, and wherein the first isolation region is disposed within the third base layer between the first amplifying thyristor and the switching thyristor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, wherein the first isolation region is disposed in a layer of the semiconductor body that is doped with a first dopant and the first isolation region includes a volume of the layer that is doped with an oppositely charged second dopant. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, wherein the first isolation region is disposed in a layer of the semiconductor body that is doped with a first dopant and the first isolation region is a void in the layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, wherein the first isolation region is disposed in a layer of the semiconductor body that is doped with a first dopant and the first isolation region is a volume in the layer that is filled with a dielectric material. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor body includes a second amplifying thyristor disposed between the first amplifying thyristor and the switching thyristor, the second amplifying thyristor and the first amplifying thyristor configured to increase the first electric current from the optical thyristor structure to at least the threshold current. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising a conductive terminal coupled with the first amplifying thyristor structure and a conductive bridge that is conductively coupled with the anode and the conductive terminal, the conductive terminal configured to conduct at least some of the second electric current from the anode to the first amplifying thyristor to increase the first electric current up to at least the threshold current. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the threshold current is a designated current. ### Claim 11 A method comprising: providing a semiconductor body extending between opposite first and second sides, the semiconductor body including doped layers that form first and second dopant junctions located between the first and second sides; removing a first portion of a first layer of the doped layers that is disposed along the first side of the semiconductor body to expose a second layer of the doped layers, the first portion of the first layer removed to provide an activation portion of the semiconductor body that receives incident radiation to generate electric current in an optical thyristor of the semiconductor body; removing a second portion of the first layer of the doped layers to expose the second layer in an intermediate portion of the semiconductor body, the intermediate portion disposed between an amplifying thyristor and a switching thyristor of the semiconductor body; conductively coupling a conductive terminal between the first layer in the amplifying thyristor of the semiconductor body and the second layer that is exposed in the intermediate portion; and conductively coupling an anode to the first layer of the doped layers and a cathode to the doped layers at the second side of the semiconductor body. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the activation portion of the semiconductor body is configured to receive the incident radiation into a gate of the optical thyristor to switch the optical thyristor to a conducting state. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein removing the second portion of the first layer of the doped layers to expose the second layer in the intermediate portion of the semiconductor body prevents current from flowing between gates of the amplifying thyristor and the optical thyristor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising creating an isolation region in the second layer in the intermediate portion of the semiconductor body, the isolation region configured to prevent current from flowing between gates of the amplifying thyristor and the optical thyristor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein creating the isolation region includes etching a void into the second layer in the intermediate portion of the semiconductor body. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein creating the isolation region includes counter doping a portion of the second layer in the intermediate portion of the semiconductor body. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein removing the second portion of the first layer of the doped layers to expose the second layer in the intermediate portion of the semiconductor body is performed in a ring that encircles the activation portion of the semiconductor body. ### Claim 18 A device comprising: an optical thyristor configured to generate an electric current when exposed to radiation; an amplifying thyristor having a first gate and configured to switch to the conducting state when the first gate receives at least a first threshold current; and a switching thyristor having a second gate and coupled with an anode and a cathode, the switching thyristor configured to switch to the conducting state when the second gate receives at least a second threshold current, wherein the optical thyristor is configured to generate the electric current for the second gate that exceeds the first threshold current of the amplifying thyristor and the amplifying thyristor is configured to increase the electric current such that the electric current exceeds the second threshold current of the switching thyristor and is provided to the second gate. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The device of claim 18, wherein the optical thyristor, the amplifying thyristor, and the switching thyristor are disposed in a common semiconductor body, and further comprising an isolation region in the semiconductor body between an optical gate of the optical thyristor and at least one of the first gate or the second gate, the isolation region configured to suppress conduction of the electric current toward the optical gate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The device of claim 19, wherein the isolation region includes at least one of a volume in the semiconductor body that is doped with an oppositely charged dopant relative to a layer in the semiconductor body in which the isolation region is located or a void in the semiconductor body. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The device of claim 18, wherein the amplifying thyristor is coupled with the anode and configured to receive external electric current from a power source through the anode in order to increase the electric current to above the second threshold current.