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US 5,291,036 AGranted
Amorphous silicon sensor
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsNang T. Tran, William C. Tait, Franco A. Mori
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photosensor device includes doped and undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon layers adjacent each other and sandwiched between a conductive layer on one side and a metal layer on the other side with the sensor having been annealed under a hydrogen atmosphere and exhibiting low dark currents. The photosensor device is particularly useful as an X-ray image sensing device with the addition of a luminescent layer having at least one X-ray phosphor.
Claims21
A sensor device comprising:
- a first luminescent layer formed columnar phosphor;
- a transparent conducting oxide layer adjacent said first luminescent layer;
- a doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer;
- an undoped hydrogenated layer of amorphous silicon or an amorphous silicon alloy adjacent the doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer;
- a metal layer including metal silicide annealed in hydrogen plasma at a temperature of at least 150.degree. C.
- wherein the doped and undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon layers are disposed between the metal layer and the conductive oxide layer;
- and
- wherein the device exhibits dark currents of not more than approximately 10.sup.-10 A/cm.sup.2 in a temperature range of approximately 10.degree. C. to 30.degree. C. at approximately -1 V.
5 more elements
A sensor device produced by the following process comprising:
- sputtering on a substrate an electrode layer;
- depositing a doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer and an undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer adjacent the doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer;
- sputtering a metal layer;
- and
- subsequently annealing the device in a hydrogen plasma atmosphere at a temperature of at least 150.degree. C. for less than 60 minutes wherein the device after annealing exhibits dark currents of not more than approximately 10.sup.-10 A/cm.sup.2 in a temperature range of approximately 10.degree. C. to 30.degree. C. at approximately -1 V.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.