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US 7,888,761 B2Granted
Direct electron detector
AssigneeIsis Innovation Limited
InventorsRudiger Reinhard Meyer, Angus Ian Kirkland
Life of this patent
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AssigneeIsis Innovation Limited
InventorsRudiger Reinhard Meyer, Angus Ian Kirkland
Estimating the term…
An electron detector (30) for detection of electrons comprises a semiconductor wafer (11) having a central portion (12) with a thickness of at most 150 μm, preferably at most 100 μm, formed by etching an area of a thicker wafer. On opposite sides of the central portion (12) there are n-type and p-type contacts (16, 31). In operation, a reverse bias is applied across the contacts (16, 31) and electrons incident on the layer (15) of intrinsic semiconductor material between the contacts (16, 31) generate electron-hole pairs which accelerate towards the contacts (16, 31) where they may detected as a signal. Conductive terminals (24, 32) contact the contacts (16, 31) and are connected to a signal processing circuit in IC chips (28, 37) mounted to the semiconductor wafer (11) outside the active area of the detector (30). The contacts (16, 31) are shaped as arrays of strips extending orthogonally on the two sides of the intrinsic layer (15) to provide two-dimensional spatial resolution. In an alternative detector (10), there is a single contact (19) on one side to provide one-dimensional spatial resolution.
An electron detector for detection of electrons, comprising a semiconductor wafer made of silicon and having an active area with an array of contacts on a first side of the active area being one of n-type or p-type and a second array of contacts on a second, opposite side of the active area being the other of n-type or p-type, wherein the contacts in the array of contacts are shaped as strips, wherein the contacts in the second array of contacts are shaped as strips, where the contacts in the second array of contacts extend in a different direction from the contacts in the array of contacts on the first side of the active area, wherein the thickness of the active area of the semiconductor wafer is at most 150 μm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.