Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
133 words
. A depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector comprising a crystalline silicon thin film on an insulating substrate, with first and second regions and a thin film light sensing channel region formed therebetween, a gate oxide formed over said channel region, a gate electrode formed on said gate oxide, a p-n junction located parallel to the surface of said substrate and within said thin film and functioning as a space charge separation region therein, the lower portion of said channel region being a p region extending to said substrate and the upper portion of said channel region being an n region extending to said gate oxide, said channel region functioning as a fully depleted channel when said photodetector is operated in its OFF state providing for high dynamic range and large photocurrent operation.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
133 words
. A depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector comprising a crystalline silicon thin film on an insulating substrate, with first and second regions and a thin film light sensing channel region formed therebetween, a gate oxide formed over said channel region, a gate electrode formed on said gate oxide, a p-n junction located parallel to the surface of said substrate and within said thin film and functioning as a space charge separation region therein, the lower portion of said channel region being a p region extending to said substrate and the upper portion of said channel region being an n region extending to said gate oxide, said channel region functioning as a fully depleted channel when said photodetector is operated in its OFF state providing for high dynamic range and large photocurrent operation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
84 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of claim 1 in the form of a thin film transistor, wherein said first and second regions are n + source and drain regions functioning as ohmic contacts to said channel n region forming a thin film transistor, said photodetector having high photoconductive gain at low light intensities when said n channel region is fully pinched off by an applied gate voltage to said gate electrode sufficiently negative as compared to the threshold voltage of said photodetector.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
91 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of claim 1 in the form of a charge coupled device, wherein said first and second regions are source and drain regions and wherein said channel region is extended to include a plurality of linearly spaced gate electrodes formed on said gate oxide forming a plurality of spaced photodetectors, comprising an input diode formed over said source region and adjacent to the first of said gate electrodes, and an output diode formed over said drain region adjacent to the last of said gate electrodes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second regions is an n+ region functioning as an ohmic contact to said channel n region and the other of said first and second regions is a p+ region functioning as an ohmic contact to said channel p region.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of any preceding claim wherein said lower portion channel region is doped n type and said upper portion channel region is doped p type.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of any preceding claim wherein said gate region is semi-transparent.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of any preceding claim wherein said insulating substrate is transparent.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of any preceding claim wherein the acceptor and donor concentrations and profiles are chosen to permit photoconduction in said channel region with said channel region fully depleted in the dark.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
39 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of any preceding claim wherein the acceptor and donor concentrations respectively in said channel p region and said channel n region are in the range from 10 16 /cm 3 to 1018/cm3.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The depletion mode thin film semiconductor photodetector of any preceding claim wherein the thickness of said channel region is in the range of 0.3 µm to 50 µm.