Patent ID: 11923471
Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. An avalanche diode, comprising:
a semiconductor structure including:
an n-type (p-type) region including a plurality of segments each including an implanted region having a higher dopant density than the n-type (p-type) region;
a p-type (n-type) region; and
a gain region between the n-type (p-type) region and the p-type (n-type) region, the gain region buried between the n-type (p-type) region and the p-type (n-type) region and the gain region including:
an n+-type region having a higher n-type dopant density than the n-type region;
a p+-type region having a higher p-type dopant density than the p-type region; and
a p-n junction between the n+-type region and the p+-type region;

a readout structure comprising a plurality of first electrodes, wherein at least one of the first electrodes is on each of the segments and the first electrodes on different segments are electrically isolated from one another;
each of segments including a first ohmic contact between the implanted region and the at least one of the first electrodes on the implanted region;
a second ohmic contact between the p-type (n-type) region and a second electrode; and
wherein the p-n junction experiences a reverse bias electric field when an appropriate polarity bias is applied between the first electrodes and the second electrode;
a plurality of electrons (holes) is generated in the p-type (n-type) region in response to incident charged particle(s) or photons;
the electrons (holes), accelerated in the reverse bias electric field applied across the gain region, generate additional electrons (holes) in the gain region through impact ionization in the gain region, and
the n-type (p-type) region (including the segments) isolates the first electrodes from electric fields in the gain region so that there is no breakdown between the implanted regions while allowing the additional electrons (holes) to drift from the gain region through the n-type (p-type) region to the first electrodes.