Patent ID: 6943390

Claim:
A photodetector comprising a semiconductor material body housing a planer structure and housing a PN junction and a sensitive region that is doped with rare earths, said PN junction configured to form an acceleration and gain region separated from said sensitive region, wherein: said sensitive region extends beneath said acceleration and gain region; said acceleration and gain region is formed by a surface region of a first conductivity type and contiguous to a surface of the body, and by a junction region of a second conductivity type and a first doping level and extending beneath said surface region; said sensitive region has said second conductivity type and a second doping level, lower than said first doping level; said semiconductor-material body, beneath said sensitive region, has said second conductivity type and a third doping level, lower than said second doping level; and said acceleration and gain region and said sensitive region form an active region laterally delimited by trenches.