Patent ID: 8574945

Claim:
A process for manufacturing an array of Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes, comprising the steps of: forming a body of semiconductor material having a first conductivity type, and a surface; forming, inside said body and facing said surface, a first cathode region having the second conductivity type; forming inside said body and facing said surface, an anode region having the first conductivity type and a higher doping level than said body, said anode region extending laterally and at a distance from said first cathode region; and forming, inside said body, an insulation region comprising forming a mirror region of metal material, said insulation region extending through said body and surrounding an active area from the rest of the body, the active area housing the first cathode region and the anode region, wherein the step of forming said insulation region further comprises introducing dopant species of said second conductivity type around the mirror region so as to form a channel-stopper region surrounding said mirror region; and wherein the step of forming the channel-stopper region comprises depositing a dopant layer along the walls of said trench; and causing the dopant species of said second conductivity type to penetrate into the body.