Photon Imaging, Inc.

Carolyn Tull

Bradley E Patt

Jan S Iwanczyk

Gintas Vilkelis

A junction-side illuminated detector array of pixelated detectors is constructed on a silicon wafer. A junction contact on the front-side may cover the whole detector array, and may be used as an entrance window for light, x-ray, gamma ray and/or other particles. The back-side has an array of individual ohmic contact pixels. Each of the ohmic contact pixels on the back-side may be surrounded by a grid or a ring of junction separation implants. Effective pixel size may be changed by separately biasing different sections of the grid. A scintillator may be coupled directly to the entrance window while readout electronics may be coupled directly to the ohmic contact pixels. The detector array may be used as a radiation hardened detector for high-energy physics research or as avalanche imaging arrays.

Junction-side illuminated silicon detector arrays

A semiconductor radiation detector is provided to detect x-ray and light photons. The entrance electrode is segmented by using variable doping concentrations. Further, the entrance electrode is physically segmented by inserting n&plus; regions between p&plus; regions. The p&plus; regions and the n&plus; regions are individually biased. The detector elements can be used in an array, and the p&plus; regions and the n&plus; regions can be biased by applying potential at a single point. The back side of the semiconductor radiation detector has an n&plus; anode for collecting created charges and a number of p&plus; cathodes. Biased n&plus; inserts can be placed between the p&plus; cathodes, and an internal resistor divider can be used to bias the n&plus; inserts as well as the p&plus; cathodes. A polysilicon spiral guard can be implemented surrounding the active area of the entrance electrode or surrounding an array of entrance electrodes.

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Orinda, CA, United States of America

Carolyn Tull