Method and apparatus for forming a photodiode
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsDavid Fattal, Jason Blackstock, Raymond Beausoleil
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Abstract
A method for forming a photodiode is provided. The method comprises: providing a region of semiconductor material having a first surface and a second surface; coupling a first conductive layer to the first surface of the semiconductor material; and coupling a second conductive surface to the second surface of the semiconductor material to form a photodiode, the second conductive surface comprising a metal surface having a two-dimensional periodic array of openings therethrough, wherein the photodiode is configured to be operated such that light is incident on the second conductive surface. A method for reducing the required thickness of a photodiode is also provided.
Claims13
A method for forming a photodiode, said method comprising:
- providing a region of semiconductor material having a first surface and a second surface;
- coupling a first conductive layer to said first surface of said semiconductor material;
- and
- coupling a second conductive surface to said second surface of said semiconductor material to form a photodiode, said second conductive surface comprising a metal surface having a two-dimensional periodic array of openings therethrough;
- wherein said photodiode is configured to be operated such that light is incident on said second conductive surface and is not required to be incident on a region of said semiconductor material not coupled with said first or said second conductive layer, and wherein a thickness of said semiconductor material is less than half of an optical wavelength of said light.
A method for reducing the required thickness of a photodiode, said method comprising:
- providing a region of semiconductor material having a first surface and a second surface;
- coupling a first conductive layer to said first surface of said semiconductor material;
- and
- coupling a second conductive surface to said second surface of said semiconductor material to form said photodiode, said second conductive surface comprising a metal surface having a two-dimensional periodic array of openings therethrough;
- wherein said photodiode is operated such that light is incident on said second conductive surface and is not required to be incident on a region of said semiconductor material not coupled with said first or said second conductive layer, and wherein a thickness of said semiconductor material is less than half of an optical wavelength of said light.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.