The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 23, 2002
Filed:
Aug. 18, 2000
Chihiro Arai, Kanagawa, JP;
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A semiconductor device includes a photodetector having a junction at which a first conductive type first semiconductor portion and a second conductive type second semiconductor portion are joined to each other. In this photodetector, division regions are formed in part of the first semiconductor portion in such a manner as to cross the first semiconductor portion and partially enter the second semiconductor portion, so that the junction is divided into a plurality of parts by the division regions, to form a plurality of photodetector regions having the divided junction parts. When a reverse bias voltage, which is equal to or less than a specific reverse bias voltage applied to the divided junction parts upon operation of the photodetector, is applied to the divided junction parts, depletion layers originated from two divided junction parts, disposed on both the sides of each of the division regions, of the plurality of divided junction parts extend, in the second semiconductor portion, under the division region to be brought into contact with each other. With this configuration, the frequency characteristic and the light receiving sensitivity of the photodetector are improved.