Hamamatsu-Photonics K.k.

Takashi Baba

Terumasa Nagano

Noburo Hosokawa

Tomofumi Suzuki

Atsushi Ishida

Koei Yamamoto

Shigeyuki Nakamura

Kenji Makino

Takuya Fujita

Yusei Tamura

Shunsuke Adachi

Tatsuya Hashi

Ryutaro Tsuchiya

Shinya Iwashina

Masanori Okada

Yoshihito Suzuki

A photodetector device includes an avalanche photodiode array substrate formed from compound semiconductor. A plurality of avalanche photodiodes arranged to operate in a Geiger mode are two-dimensionally arranged on the avalanche photodiode array substrate. A circuit substrate includes a plurality of output units which are connected to each other in parallel to form at least one channel. Each of the output units includes a passive quenching element and a capacitative element. The passive quenching element is connected in series to at least one of the plurality of avalanche photodiodes. The capacitative element is connected in series to at least one of the avalanche photodiodes and is connected in parallel to the passive quenching element.

Photodetector device having avalanche photodiodes two-dimensionally arranged on a semiconductor layer and quenching element connected in series to the photodiodes

A photodetecting device includes a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of avalanche photodiodes each including a light receiving region disposed at a first principal surface side of the semiconductor substrate, the avalanche photodiodes being arranged two-dimensionally at the semiconductor substrate, and a through-electrode electrically connected to a corresponding light receiving region. The through-electrode is provided in a through-hole penetrating through the semiconductor substrate in an area where the plurality of avalanche photodiodes are arranged two-dimensionally. At the first principal surface side of the semiconductor substrate, a groove surrounding the through-hole is formed between the through-hole and the light receiving region adjacent to the through-hole. A first distance between an edge of the groove and an edge of the through-hole surrounded by the groove is longer than a second distance between the edge of the groove and an edge of the light receiving region adjacent to the through-hole surrounded by the groove.

Light detection device

A semiconductor substrate has a first main surface and a second main surface that oppose each other and a plurality of cells that are arrayed two-dimensionally in a matrix. Each cell includes at least one avalanche photodiode arranged to operate in a Geiger mode. A trench penetrating through the semiconductor substrate is formed in the semiconductor substrate to surround each cell when viewed in a direction orthogonal to the first main surface. A light-shielding member optically separates mutually adjacent cells of the plurality of cells. The light-shielding member includes a first portion extending in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate between an opening end of the trench at the first main surface and an opening end of the trench at the second main surface and a second portion projecting out from the second main surface. The insulating film includes a portion that covers the second portion.

Semiconductor photodetection device having a plurality of avalanche photodiodes

Photodetector device having avalanche photodiodes two-dimensionally arranged on a compound semiconductor layer and quenching element connected in series to the photodiodes

A photodetector device includes an avalanche photodiode array substrate. A circuit substrate includes time measurement circuits and a clock driver. Each of the time measurement circuit includes a delay line unit, and is arranged to acquire, from an operation result of a delay line, time information indicating timing at which a pulse signal is input from a corresponding avalanche photodiode. The delay line unit is arranged to initiate an operation of the delay line in response to input of the pulse signal to the time measurement circuit, and to stop the operation of the delay line in response to input of a clock signal from a clock driver to the time measurement circuit, and is arranged to detect a time interval shorter than a cycle of the clock signal by the operation of the delay line.

Photodetector device

In a light detection device, a circuit substrate includes a plurality of signal processing units which process a detection signal output from a corresponding pixel. Light-receiving regions of a plurality of avalanche photodiodes are two-dimensionally arranged for every pixel. In each of the signal processing units, a timing measurement unit measures timing at which light is incident on a corresponding pixel, based on the detection signal. An energy measurement unit measures energy of light incident on a corresponding pixel, based on the detection signal. A storage unit stores a measurement result in the timing measurement unit and the energy measurement unit. A light detection region where a plurality of the pixels are provided and a signal processing region where a plurality of the signal processing units are provided overlap each other at least at a part.

Light detection apparatus

A back-illuminated semiconductor light detecting device includes a light detecting substrate having pixels, and a circuit substrate having signal processing units. For each of the pixels, the light detecting substrate includes avalanche photodiodes respectively having light receiving regions provided in a first main surface side of the semiconductor substrate. In the semiconductor substrate, for each pixel, a trench surrounds at least one region including the light receiving region when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first main surface. The number of signal processing units is larger than the number of light receiving regions in each pixel, and the number of regions surrounded by the trench in each pixel is equal to or less than the number of light receiving regions in the pixel.

Back-illuminated semiconductor light detecting device

A photodetecting device includes a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of avalanche photodiodes each having a light receiving region, the avalanche photodiodes being arranged in a matrix at the semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of through-electrodes electrically connected to corresponding light receiving regions. The plurality of through-electrodes are arranged for each area surrounded by four mutually adjacent avalanche photodiodes of the plurality of avalanche photodiodes. Each of the light receiving regions has, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to a first principal surface of the semiconductor substrate, a polygonal shape including a pair of first sides opposing each other in a row direction and extending in a column direction and four second side opposing four through-electrodes surrounding the light receiving region and extending in directions intersecting with the row direction and the column direction. The length of the first side is shorter than the length of the second side.

Photodetection device with matrix array of avalanche diodes

A photodetecting device includes a semiconductor substrate including a one-dimensionally distributed plurality of pixels. The photodetecting device includes, for each pixel, a plurality of avalanche photodiodes arranged to operate in Geiger mode, a plurality of quenching resistors electrically connected in series with the respective avalanche photodiodes, and a signal processing unit arranged to process output signals from the plurality of avalanche photodiodes. Light receiving regions of the plurality of avalanche photodiodes are two-dimensionally distributed for each pixel. Each signal processing unit includes a gate grounded circuit and a current mirror circuit electrically connected to the gate grounded circuit. The gate grounded circuit is electrically connected to the plurality of avalanche photodiodes of the corresponding pixel via the plurality of quenching resistors. The current minor circuit is arranged to output a signal corresponding to output signals from the plurality of avalanche photodiodes.

A photodetecting device includes a semiconductor photodetecting element including a plurality of pixels distributed two-dimensionally and a mount substrate including a plurality of signal processing units arranged to process output signals from the corresponding pixels. The semiconductor photodetecting element includes, for each of the pixels, a plurality of avalanche photodiodes arranged to operate in Geiger mode, a plurality of quenching resistors each electrically connected in series with a respective avalanche photodiodes, and a through-electrode electrically connected to the plurality of quenching resistors. Each of the signal processing units includes a current mirror circuit electrically connected to the plurality of avalanche photodiodes via the corresponding through-electrode and arranged to output a signal corresponding to output signals from the plurality of avalanche photodiodes. The number of signal processing units included on the mount substrate is more than the number of light receiving regions in each of the pixels.

Photodetecting device with weak light signal detection and low power consumption

Photodetector device comprising each of a plurality of passive quenching elements connected in series to at least one avalanche photodiode and a capacitative element connected in parallel to the passive quenching element

A photodetecting device includes a semiconductor substrate including a first principal surface and a second principal surface that oppose each other and a plurality of through-electrodes penetrating through the semiconductor substrate in a thickness direction. The semiconductor substrate includes a plurality of avalanche photodiodes arranged to operate in Geiger mode. The plurality of through-electrodes are electrically connected to the corresponding avalanche photodiodes. The semiconductor substrate includes a first area in which the plurality of avalanche photodiodes are distributed in at least a first direction and a second area in which the plurality of through-electrodes are distributed two-dimensionally. The first area and the second area are distributed in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the first principal surface.

Optical sensor

In a plane including the center line of a vertical through hole, it is assumed that a segment that connects a first point corresponding to the edge of an opening of an insulating layer and a second point corresponding to the edge of a second opening is a first segment, a segment that connects the second point and a third point corresponding to an intersection point between the second opening and a surface of the insulating layer is a second segment, and a segment that connects the third point and the first point is a third segment. In the insulating layer, the first area located on one side with respect to the first segment is larger than the sum of the second area surrounded by the first, the second and the third segments and the third area located on the other side with respect to the third segment.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Takashi Baba