Patent ID: 8426897

Claim:
A semiconductor apparatus, comprising a substrate, the substrate having a first horizontal surface, and an opposite second horizontal surface; at least one elongated 3-dimensional structure that has a length along a path subtending the first horizontal surface and the second horizontal surface, the length being greater than a cross-section of the elongated 3-dimensional structure wherein the cross-section is perpendicular to said path; a first horizontal collection contact electrode on the first horizontal surface; a second horizontal contact electrode on the second horizontal surface; a third horizontal contact electrode on the first horizontal surface; a resistive path provided by the at least one elongated 3-dimensional structure between the third horizontal contact electrode on the first horizontal surface and the second horizontal contact electrode on the second horizontal surface; a first bias between the third horizontal contact electrode and the first horizontal collection electrode for depleting semiconductor material in the semiconductor apparatus and creating, along the length of the at least one elongated 3-dimensional structure, an electric field component that drives signal charge carriers in a direction perpendicular to the path of the at least one elongated 3-dimensional structure; a second bias between the third horizontal contact electrode on the first horizontal surface and the second horizontal contact electrode on the second horizontal surface for generating a current flow that creates, within the depleted semiconductor material, a constant electric field component that drives signal charge carriers in the depleted semiconductor material in a direction towards the first horizontal collection contact on the first horizontal surface.