Patent ID: 8093624

Claim:
A photodiode array comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of photodiodes, each photodiode including: a cathode region of a first dopant type disposed at a first surface of the substrate; an anode region of a second dopant type disposed at a second substrate surface opposite the first surface; and a buried layer of the second dopant type disposed in the substrate with a high-field zone that is at a first substrate depth and that is aligned with the cathode region for defining an electronic charge avalanche region, with a mid-field zone that is at a second substrate depth greater than the first substrate depth and that is disposed laterally outward of the cathode region, and with a step zone connecting the high-field and mid-field zones; and a buried layer extension of the mid-field zone of each of the plurality of photodiodes in the array connected with mid-field zones of adjacent photodiodes as a continuous buried layer.