Patent ID: 7489014

Claim:
A photodiode comprising: a semiconductor having a front surface and a backside surface and including: a first active layer having a first conductivity, a second active layer having a second conductivity opposite the first conductivity, and an intrinsic layer separating the first and second active layers; a plurality of isolation trenches having a depth extending through the second active layer and the intrinsic layer into the first active layer, the isolation trenches being arranged to divide the photodiode into a plurality of cells, and the isolation trenches being arranged to form a central trench region in electrical communication with the first active layer beneath each of the plurality of cells; sidewall active diffusion regions extending the isolation trench depth along each isolation trench sidewall formed by doping at least a portion of sidewalls of the isolation trenches with a dopant of the first conductivity; a conductive material filling the isolation trenches; a first electrical contact in electrical communication with the first active layer beneath each of the plurality of cells via the central trench region; and a plurality of second electrical contacts each in electrical communication with the second active layer of one of the plurality of cells, the first electrical contact and the plurality of second electrical contacts being formed on the front surface of the photodiode.