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US 9,040,929 B2Granted
Charge sensors using inverted lateral bipolar junction transistors
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJin Cai, Tak H. Ning, Jeng-Bang Yau, Sufi Zafar
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Abstract
A sensor includes a collector, an emitter and a base-region barrier formed as an inverted bipolar junction transistor having a base substrate forming a base electrode to activate the inverted bipolar junction transistor. A level surface is formed by the collector, the emitter and the base-region barrier opposite the base substrate such that when the level surface is exposed to charge, the charge is measured during operation of the bipolar junction transistor.
Claims17
A sensor, comprising:
- a collector, an emitter and a base-region barrier formed as an inverted bipolar junction transistor having a base substrate forming a base electrode to activate the inverted bipolar junction transistor;
- a level surface formed by the collector, the emitter and the base-region barrier opposite the base substrate such that when the level surface is exposed to charge, the charge is measured during operation of the bipolar junction transistor;
- and
- a detection layer directly on an entirety of the level surface.
1 more element
A sensor, comprising:
- a collector, an emitter and a base-region barrier formed as an inverted bipolar junction transistor having a base substrate forming a base electrode to activate the inverted bipolar junction;
- a level surface formed by the collector, the emitter and the base-region barrier opposite the base substrate such that when the level surface is exposed to charge, the charge is measured during operation of the bipolar junction transistor;
- and
- a detection layer disposed over an entirety of the level surface and configured to interface with an item to be measured such that interaction or contact with the substance generates the charge measurable by the bipolar junction transistor.
1 more element
A sensor, comprising:
- a base substrate including a monocrystalline semiconductor material;
- a base-region barrier extending from the base substrate and including a monocrystalline structure having a same dopant conductivity as the base substrate;
- an emitter contacting a first lateral side of the base-region barrier;
- and
- a collector contacting a second lateral side opposite the emitter to form a bipolar junction transistor, the emitter and collector being spaced from the base substrate by a buried dielectric layer, the collector, the emitter and the base-region barrier forming a level surface opposite the base substrate;
- and
- a detection layer disposed over an entirety of the level surface such that when the detection layer is exposed to charge, the charge is measured during operation of the bipolar junction transistor.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.