Front lit PIN/NIP diode having a continuous anode/cathode

1. A method of manufacturing a photodetector comprising:

providing a semiconductor substrate having first and second main surfaces opposite to each other;

forming at least one trench in the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate, the at least one trench extending through the semiconductor substrate and to the second main surface of the semiconductor substrate;

selectively masking the first main surface with a first mask;

doping the first main surface and sidewalls of the at least one trench with a first dopant of a first conductivity to form a first anode/cathode region;

selectively masking the second main surface with a second mask;

doping the second main surface with a second dopant of a second conductivity opposite to the first conductivity to form a second anode/cathode region;

selectively masking the first main surface with a third mask; and

doping the first main surface with a third dopant of the second conductivity to form an isolation region.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

removing the first mask from the first main surface.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:

removing the third mask from the first main surface.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:

filling the at least one trench with one of doped polysilicon, undoped polysilicon, metal and metal silicide.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:

applying a passivation material using one of thermal growth, low pressure (LP) chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), Atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD), spun-on-glass (SOG), glass frit, deposition, direct application and combinations thereof.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the passivation material is one of an oxide, a nitride, a glass, polysilicon and combinations thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one of planarizing, grinding and polishing the second main surface of the semiconductor substrate; and

forming a second passivation layer on the second main surface of the semiconductor substrate.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first anode/cathode region is heavily doped p-type and the second anode/cathode region is heavily doped n-type.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one trench is formed utilizing one of plasma etching, Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) and chemical etching.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the doping is performed by one of ion implantation, solid diffusion, liquid diffusion, spin-on deposits, plasma doping, vapor phase doping and laser doping.