Opto-electronic sensor

Claim 1

An opto-electronic sensor comprising: a thin layer of doped semiconductor material having a front surface and a rear surface and at least one electrical connection contact carried by said layer of doped semiconductor material; a first light-permeable, electrically insulating layer carried on said front surface of said thin layer of doped semiconductor material; at least one row of electrodes separated from one another by gaps and carried on said first insulating layer to form a charge-coupled transmission device; a thin second light-permeable, electrically insulating layer of constant thickness covering the entire rear surface of said thin layer of doped semiconductor material; and a light-permeable, electrically conductive electrode covering said second insulating layer; light incident on said thin layer which produces minority charge carriers; a potential applied to said thin layer and to at least a first electrode of said row of electrodes; a potential of one polarity applied to said electrically conductive electrode such that a depletion zone extends from said rear surface beneath said electrically conductive electrode to said front surface beneath said first electrode; a potential of said one polarity applied to at least a second electrode of said row of electrodes such that a potential well is formed in a depletion zone at said front surface beneath said second electrode in which said minority charge carriers are accumulated, the depletion zone beneath said second electrode extending to the depletion zone beneath said electrically conductive electrode.