Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Takahiro Takimoto

Kazuhiro Natsuaki

Masaru Kubo

Masayo Uchida

Naoki Fukunaga

Isamu Ohkubo

Takashi Nakano

Toshihiko Fukushima

Toshimitsu Kasamatsu

Kazuya Ishihara

Nobuyoshi Awaya

Mitsuru Nakura

Mutsumi Oka

Hiroki Nakamura

Suguru Kawabata

Daisuke Honda

Masaaki Uchihashi

Makoto Hosokawa

Yukio Tamai

Shinobu Yamazaki

Zenpei Tani

Toshifumi Yoshikawa

Isamu Okubo

An avalanche photodiode includes: a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type formed on a substrate of the first conductivity type; a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type formed under the first semiconductor layer; a third semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type formed in a shallow portion of the first semiconductor layer on the substrate, the third semiconductor layer having a higher concentration than an impurity concentration of the first semiconductor layer; a fourth semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type formed in a region in the first semiconductor layer immediately below the third semiconductor layer; a first contact electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer; and a second contact electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer. An impurity concentration of the fourth semiconductor layer is higher than that of the first semiconductor layer and is lower than that of the third semiconductor layer.

Avalanche photodiode

An avalanche photodiode includes a first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a first second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a second second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a third second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a fourth second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a fifth second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer. The first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer and the second second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer form an avalanche junction. The first and third second-conductivity-type semiconductor layers are electrically connected together via the fourth second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer such that the semiconductor substrate and the first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer are electrically isolated from each other.

An avalanche photodiode according to the present invention includes, inside a substrate semiconductor layer having a first conductivity type and a uniform impurity concentration, a first semiconductor layer having the first conductivity type, a second semiconductor layer having a second conductivity type, a third semiconductor layer having the second conductivity type, a fourth semiconductor layer having the second conductivity type, a fifth semiconductor layer having the first conductivity type and formed at a position away from the third semiconductor layer in a lateral direction, a sixth semiconductor layer having the second conductivity type, a first contact, and a second contact. The first semiconductor layer is positioned just under the second semiconductor layer and the fifth semiconductor layer in contact therewith. An avalanche phenomenon is caused at a junction between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer.

A photosensor includes a light emitting element that radiates light onto an object to be detected and a light receiving element that has a light-receiving surface for receiving light radiated from the light emitting element. An incident light regulation portion covering the light-receiving surface is provided on a path along which the light radiated from the light emitting element directed toward the light-receiving surface, and the incident light regulation portion transmits light having an incident angle less than a predetermined value and blocks light having the incident angle greater than or equal to the predetermined value among light incident on the light receiving element.

Photosensor

The image processing method includes a luminance value information obtaining step of obtaining effective radiance values from a subject, and an image generating step of generating a picture image as a set of unit regions each of which has a luminance value obtained by at least partially removing a regular reflection light component on a surface of the subject from the effective radiance values.

Image processing method and image processing device

An image capturing apparatus that includes a polarizing filter of a slit type in which polarization characteristics are improved is realized. A polarizing unit () of an image capturing apparatus () includes a first polarizer layer () and a second polarizer layer () that hold a dielectric layer () therebetween, and a plurality of slits () that are arranged at regular intervals in a predetermined direction are formed in each of the first polarizer layer () and the second polarizer layer (). A forming material of each of the first polarizer layer () and the second polarizer layer () and a forming material of a wiring layer that controls an operation of a light receiving unit () are selected from Al, Si, Cu, Au, Ag, Pt, W, Ti, Sn, In, Ga, Zn, and a compound or alloy that contains at least one of the foregoing.

Image capturing apparatus

Provided are an optical receiver that can realize a reduction in the variation of sensitivity in the ultraviolet light region and a reduction in noise in the visible light region and the infrared light region, a portable electronic device, and a method of producing an optical receiver. The first light-receiving device (PD) and the second light-receiving device (PD) of the optical receiver () are each constituted by forming a second conductivity-type N-type well layer (N_well) on a first conductivity-type P-type substrate (P_sub), forming a first conductivity-type P-type well layer (P_well) in the N-type well layer (N_well), and forming a second conductivity-type N-type diffusion layer (N) in the P-type well layer (P_well). The P-type substrate P_sub, the N-type well layer (N_well), and the P-type well layer (P_well) are electrically at the same potential or are short-circuited.

Optical receiver, portable electronic device, and method of producing optical receiver

A photoelectric conversion device includes: a first optical filter that has a first pattern periodically having a plurality of structures and is formed of a conductive material film disposed on a first photoelectric conversion element with an insulating film therebetween; and a first optical filter that has a second pattern periodically having a plurality of structures and is formed of a conductive material film disposed on a second photoelectric conversion element with the insulating film therebetween. The interval between the first pattern and the second pattern that are adjacent to each other is longer than a period of the structures in the first pattern and a period of the structures in the second pattern.

Photoelectric conversion device

A photoelectric conversion device capable of preventing anomalous transmission of light of a wavelength that is not supposed to be transmitted and reducing the half-width of a spectral waveform and a method for manufacturing such a photoelectric conversion device are provided. A first photoelectric conversion element is formed on a substrate. A first metal film having a plurality of openings arranged periodically or aperiodically is formed above the first photoelectric conversion element with insulating films interposed therebetween. A second metal film covering a part of the openings in the first metal film is provided.

Photoelectric conversion device and method for manufacturing same

An optical filter configured to transmit light of a predetermined wavelength includes a substrate; a first conductive thin film that is disposed on the substrate and has apertures extending through the first conductive thin film and arranged with a period of less than the predetermined wavelength; and a second conductive thin film at least a portion of which faces the apertures so as to be separated from the apertures.

Optical filter configured to transmit light of a predetermined wavelength

In a lateral double-diffused field effect transistor of the present invention, a gate insulating film includes a first gate insulating film covering a source diffusion layer up to a region beyond the pattern of a body diffusion layer and a second gate insulating film having a film thickness larger than that of the first gate insulating film and covering a region closer to a drain diffusion layer than the region covered by the first gate insulating film. A boundary between the first gate insulating film and the second gate insulating film is composed of a straight portion parallel to a side of the pattern of the body diffusion layer and a corner portion surrounding an vertex of the pattern of the body diffusion layer from a distance. A distance between the vertex of the pattern of the body diffusion layer and the corner portion of the boundary is equal to or smaller than a distance between the side of the pattern of the body diffusion layer and the straight portion of the boundary.

Lateral double-diffused field effect transistor and integrated circuit having same

The lateral double-diffused MOS transistor includes a drift region of a first conductive type provided on a semiconductor substrate of a second conductive type, and a body diffusion region of the second conductive type formed on the surface within the drift region. The MOS transistor includes a gate electrode formed in such a position as it covers from part of the body diffusion region to part of the drift region located outside the diffusion region via an insulating film. The MOS transistor further includes a source diffusion region of the first conductive type and a drain diffusion region of the first conductive type formed on top of the body diffusion region and top of the drift region, respectively, both of which correspond to both sides of the gate electrode. The drain diffusion region includes a deep diffusion portion which has a 1/1000 or more concentration of a peak concentration of the source diffusion region and which is positioned deeper than the source diffusion region.

Lateral double-diffused MOS transistor and manufacturing method therefor

A light receiving element, comprising a semiconductor structure comprising at least a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, a first, second conductivity type semiconductor layer provided on the first conductivity type semiconductor layer in the semiconductor structure, a second, second conductivity type semiconductor layer having an impurity concentration lower than that of the first, second conductivity type semiconductor layer, a second, first conductivity type semiconductor layer provided on the second, second conductivity type semiconductor layer, or a second, first conductivity type semiconductor layer provided within the second, second conductivity type semiconductor layer.

Light receiving element, light detector with built-in circuitry and optical pickup

A photodetector with a built-in circuit includes a semiconductor substrate, an integrated circuit provided on the semiconductor substrate, and a photodiode provided on the semiconductor substrate. The integrated circuit includes a SiGe layer provided on at least a portion of the integrated circuit.

Photodetector with built-in circuit

A circuit-incorporating light receiving device includes an integrated circuit and a photodiode. The integrated circuit and the photodiode are provided on a single semiconductor substrate. The integrated circuit includes a transistor having a polycrystalline silicon as an emitter diffusion source and an electrode. Elements included in the integrated circuit are isolated from each other using local oxidization.

Growing community of inventors

Tenri, Japan

Takahiro Takimoto