Semiconductor photomultiplier device
View Patent ↗According to embodiments of the present invention, a semiconductor photomultiplier device is provided. The semiconductor photomultiplier device includes a substrate having a front side and a back side, a common electrode of a first conductivity type adjacent to the back side, and a cell including an active region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the front side, and a contact region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the front side, the contact region being spaced apart from the active region by a separation region.
1. A semiconductor photomultiplier device comprising:
a substrate having a front side and a back side;
a common electrode of a first conductivity type adjacent to the back side;
a cell comprising an active region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the front side; and
a contact region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the front side, the contact region being spaced apart from the active region by a separation region,
wherein the separation region defines a resistor between the active region and the contact region to allow a current to flow between the active region and the contact region through the separation region.
2. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the contact region at least substantially surrounds the active region.
3. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 2 , wherein the contact region is discontinuous, the contact region being defined by a plurality of portions arranged spaced apart from each other.
4. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the separation region is between about 0.1 μm and about 2 μm.
5. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the resistor defined by the separation region has a resistance that is higher than respective resistances of the active region and the contact region.
6. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the active region is formed in a first portion of the substrate, and wherein the contact region is formed in a second portion of the substrate, the first portion being spaced apart from the second portion by the separation region.
7. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , further comprising an electrical interconnection electrically coupled to the contact region.
8. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the area of the front side to which the active region is adjacent and overlaps with is free of electrical interconnections.
9. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the contact region comprises dopants of the second conductivity type at a concentration higher than dopants of the second conductivity type in the active region.
10. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the cell further comprises an intermediate region of the first conductivity type between the active region and the common electrode.
11. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 10 , wherein the intermediate region at least substantially contacts the active region.
12. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 10 , wherein the intermediate region comprises dopants of the first conductivity type at a concentration lower than dopants of the first conductivity type in the common electrode.
13. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the cell further comprises an intermediate region of the second conductivity type between the active region and the common electrode.
14. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 13 , wherein the intermediate region is spaced apart from the active region.
15. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 13 , wherein the intermediate region comprises dopants of the second conductivity type at a concentration equal to or lower than dopants of the second conductivity type in the active region.
16. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of cells, each cell comprising a respective active region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the front side.
17. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the first conductivity type is n-type conductivity type and the second conductivity type is p-type conductivity type.
18. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the first conductivity type is p-type conductivity type and the second conductivity type is n-type conductivity type.
19. The semiconductor photomultiplier device of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the front side is free of integrated resistors.
20. A semiconductor photomultiplier device comprising:
a substrate having a front side and a back side;
a common electrode of a first conductivity type adjacent to the back side;
a cell comprising an active region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the front side; and
a contact region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the front side, the contact region being spaced apart from the active region by a separation region,
wherein the separation region has a resistance that is higher than respective resistances of the active region and the contact region.
21. A semiconductor photomultiplier device comprising:
a substrate having a front side and a back side;
a common electrode of a first conductivity type adjacent to the back side;
a cell comprising an active region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the front side; and an intermediate region of the second conductivity type between the active region and the common electrode; and
a contact region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the front side, the contact region being spaced apart from the active region by a separation region.