Avalanche impact ionization amplification devices

A semiconductor structure comprising:

• a semiconductor material layer having a doping of a same conductivity type throughout and located on a substrate;
• at least one first-type electrode having angled corners and conductively connected to said semiconductor material layer and having a bottommost surface located above a top surface of said semiconductor material layer;
• at least one second-type electrode conductively connected to said semiconductor material layer;
• and
• a plurality of non-uniform electric field regions located in said semiconductor material layer and around said angled corners of said at least one first-type electrode, wherein said at least one first-type electrode is at a first voltage and said at least one second-type electrode is at a second voltage that is different from said first voltage, wherein said plurality of non-uniform electric field regions has a field strength at or above a critical field strength that triggers impact ionization and amplification of charge carriers in said semiconductor material.

A semiconductor structure comprising:

• a semiconductor material layer having a doping of a same conductivity type throughout and located on a substrate;
• at least one first-type electrode having angled corners and conductively connected to said semiconductor material layer and having a bottommost surface located above a top surface of said semiconductor material layer;
• at least one second-type electrode conductively connected to said semiconductor material layer;
• a plurality of non-uniform electric field regions located in said semiconductor material layer and around said angled corners of said at least one first-type electrode, wherein said at least one first-type electrode is at a first voltage and said at least one second-type electrode is at a second voltage that is different from said first voltage;
• and
• a waveguide located underneath said semiconductor material layer and configured to have an evanescent coupling with said semiconductor material layer.

A semiconductor structure comprising:

• a semiconductor material layer having a doping of a same conductivity type throughout and located on a substrate;
• at least one first-type electrode having angled corners and conductively connected to said semiconductor material layer and having a bottommost surface located above a top surface of said semiconductor material layer;
• at least one second-type electrode conductively connected to said semiconductor material layer;
• a plurality of non-uniform electric field regions located in said semiconductor material layer and around said angled corners of said at least one first-type electrode, wherein said at least one first-type electrode is at a first voltage and said at least one second-type electrode is at a second voltage that is different from said first voltage;
• and
• a plurality of thin material liners directly contacting a surface of said semiconductor material layer and sidewalls of said at least one first-type electrode, wherein said plurality of thin material liners conduct electricity.

A method of operating a semiconductor device embodied in a semiconductor structure, said method comprising:

• providing a semiconductor structure comprising:
• a semiconductor material layer having a doping of a same conductivity type throughout and located on a substrate;
• at least one first-type electrode having angled corners and conductively connected to said semiconductor material layer and having a bottommost surface located above a top surface of said semiconductor material layer;
• at least one second-type electrode conductively connected to said semiconductor material layer;
• and
• a plurality of non-uniform electric field regions located in said semiconductor material layer and around said angled corners of said at least one first-type electrode, wherein said at least one first-type electrode is at a first voltage and said at least one second-type electrode is at a second voltage that is different from said first voltage;
• inducing impact ionization and avalanche multiplication of charge carriers in said semiconductor material layer of said semiconductor structure;
• and
• detecting a change in electrical current through a portion of said semiconductor material layer caused by said avalanche amplification.