Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Makoto Hosokawa

Masaru Kubo

Takahiro Takimoto

Toshihiko Fukushima

Isamu Ohkubo

Naoki Fukunaga

A photosensitive device includes a semiconductor substrate and a first semiconductor layer, both of a first conductivity type, with the semiconductor layer being formed on the semiconductor substrate and having a lower impurity concentration than that of the semiconductor substrate. A second semiconductor layer, of a second conductivity type, is formed on the first semiconductor layer and at least one diffusion layer of the first conductivity type is formed from the surface of the second semiconductor layer so as to reach the surface of the first semiconductor layer. The diffusion layer subdivides the second semiconductor layer into a plurality of semiconductor regions At least one photodiode portion for converting signal light into an electrical signal is formed at a junction between at least one of the plurality of semiconductor regions and the first semiconductor layer. A depletion layer which is formed in the first semiconductor layer when a reverse bias voltage is applied to the at least one photodiode portion has a field intensity of about 0.3 V/&mgr;m or more.

Light sensitive element and light sensitive element having internal circuitry

A semiconductor device includes: a photosensitive section essentially composed of a PN junction between a semiconductor multilayer structure of the first conductivity type and a first semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type; and a partitioning portion for splitting the photosensitive section into a plurality of regions. The semiconductor multilayer structure of the first conductivity type includes: a semiconductor substrate of the first conductivity type; a first semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type; and a second semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type. The partitioning portion includes a third semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type extending from the first semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type so as to reach the second semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type.

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Makoto Hosokawa