Devices for sensing radiation

Claim 2

A radiation sensing device comprising a substrate of semiconductor material of one conductivity type having a major surface, a first conducting member overlying and in insulated relationship to a first surface portion of said substrate adjacent said major surface, a second conducting member overlying and in insulated relationship to a second surface portion of said substrate adjacent said major surface, said second surface adjacent portion being closely spaced to said first surface portion, means for coupling said first and second surface portions including a surface region of opposite conductivity type in said substrate adjacent said major surface thereof and contiguous to the adjacent edges of said first and second surface portions.

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 in which said conducting members are of rectilinear outline.

Claim 4

The device of claim 1 in which said conducting members are metallic.

Claim 5

The device of claim 1 in which said semiconductor material is silicon and said conducting members are polycrystalline silicon.

Claim 6

The device of claim 1 in which said substrate is of N-type conductivity and said region of opposite conductivity type is of P-type conductivity.

Claim 7

The device of claim 1 in which said surface region of opposite conductivity type is contiguous to a substantial part of the other edges of each of said first and second surface portions.

Claim 8

An array of radiation sensing devices comprising a substrate of semiconductor material of one conductivity type having a major surface, a plurality of first conductive plates, each overlying and in insulated relationship to said major surface and forming a first conductor-insulator-semiconductor capacitor with said substrate, a plurality of second conductive plates, each adjacent a respective first conductive plate to form a plurality of pairs of plates, said pairs of plates being arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, each of said second conductive plates overlying and in insulated relationship to said major surface and forming a second conductor-insulator-semiconductor capacitor with said substrate, means for coupling each pair of adjacent first and second capacitors including a respective surface region of opposite conductivity type in said surface regions of opposite conductivity type being contiguous to the adjacent edges of a pair of surface portions of said substrate underlying a respective pair of first and second plates and also contiguous to a substantial part of the other edges of said pair of surface portions of said substrate, a plurality of column conductor linEs, the first conductive plates in each of said columns connected to a respective column conductor line, a plurality of row conductor lines, the second conductive plates in each of said rows connected to a respective row conductor line.

Claim 9

An array of radiation sensing devices comprising a substrate of semiconductor material of one conductivity type having a major surface, a plurality of first conductive plates, each overlying and in insulated relationship to said major surface and forming a first conductor-insulator-semiconductor capacitor with said substrate, a plurality of second conductive plates, each adjacent a respective first conductive plate to form a plurality of pairs of plates, said pairs of plates being arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, each of said second conductive plates overlying and in insulated relationship to said major surface and forming a second conductor-insulator-semiconductor capacitor with said substrate, means for coupling each pair of adjacent first and second capacitors including a respective surface region of opposite conductivity type in said surface regions of opposite conductivity type being contiguous to the adjacent edges of a pair of surface portions of said substrate underlying a respective pair of first and second plates and also contiguous to a substantial part of the other edges of said pair of surface portions of said substrate, a plurality of column conductor linEs, the first conductive plates in each of said columns connected to a respective column conductor line, a plurality of row conductor lines, the second conductive plates in each of said rows connected to a respective row conductor line.

Claim 10

The array of claim 7 in which each of said regions of opposite conductivity type completely surrounds a respective pair of surface portions underlying said plates in a plane parallel to said major surface.

Claim 11

The array of claim 7 in which a layer of insulating material is provided having a surface in contact with said major surface of said substrate and an opposed surface having a plurality of recesses, said recesses being arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, each pair of adjacent first and second plates located in the base of a respective recess.

Claim 12

The array of claim 9 in which the edges of said plates are spaced from the edges of said base, and each of said regions of opposite conductivity type is laterally bounded by the edges of said plates and the edges of said base region.