US4969025A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Amorphous silicon photosensor with oxygen doped layer
Assignee: Ricoh Research Institute of General Electronics Co Ltd
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Filing: 1989-09-25
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Granted: 1990-11-06
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Expires: 2009-09-25
Abstract
Abstract A sandwich type amorphous silicon photosensor suitable for use as an image sensor of a facsimile machine or the like is provided. The photosensor includes a pair of first and second electrodes and an amorphous silicon multi-layer structure sandwiched between the first and second electrodes. The first electrode includes an oxide and has a transparency of 80% or more in a visible light region. The multi-layer structure includes a first amorphous silicon layer which is in contact with the first electrode. The first amorphous silicon layer contains at least oxygen and has an optical bandgap in a region of 2.0 eV or more, a resistivity in a range of 10 12 -10 14 ohms-cm, a photoconductive characteristic and a refractive index in a range of 1.8-3.4
Inventors
- 👤 Kenji Yamamoto
- 👤 Atsuko Kumagai
- 👤 Koichi Haga
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 05:44
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10F; H10F30/00; H10F30/10; H10F30/15; H10F71/00; H10F71/10; H10F71/103; H10F77/00; H10F77/10; H10F77/16; H10F77/162; H10F77/166; H10F77/1662; H10F77/20; H10F77/244; H10F77/247; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/50; Y02E10/548; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
A photosensor comprising: a pair of first and second electrodes, said first electrode containing at least one metal oxide and being transparent and a voltage being applied between said first and second electrode to detect a photocurrent; and an amorphous silicon multi-layer structure sandwiched between said pair of first and second electrodes, said multilayer structure comprising at least one first amorphous silicon layer which is in contact with said first electrode, which is doped with at least one of the metal elements which constitutes the electrode material of said first electrode and with oxygen atoms, and which has an optical bandgap in a range of 2.0 eV or above, a resistivity in a range of 10 12 -10 14 ohms-cm, a photoresistivity in a range of 10 7 -10 8 ohms-cm at AM 1100 mW/cm 2 and a refractive index within the range of 1.8-3.4, and at least one second amorphous silicon layer, in surface contact with said second electrode, which is undoped.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
163 words
A photosensor comprising: a pair of first and second electrodes, said first electrode containing at least one metal oxide and being transparent and a voltage being applied between said first and second electrode to detect a photocurrent; and an amorphous silicon multi-layer structure sandwiched between said pair of first and second electrodes, said multilayer structure comprising at least one first amorphous silicon layer which is in contact with said first electrode, which is doped with at least one of the metal elements which constitutes the electrode material of said first electrode and with oxygen atoms, and which has an optical bandgap in a range of 2.0 eV or above, a resistivity in a range of 10 12 -10 14 ohms-cm, a photoresistivity in a range of 10 7 -10 8 ohms-cm at AM 1100 mW/cm 2 and a refractive index within the range of 1.8-3.4, and at least one second amorphous silicon layer, in surface contact with said second electrode, which is undoped.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The photosensor of claim 1, wherein said first electrode has a transparency of 80% or more.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The photosensor of claim 2, further comprising a substrate on which one of said pair of first and second electrodes is formed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The photosensor of claim 3, wherein the electrode formed on said substrate is comprised of a plurality of individual electrodes spaced apart at predetermined intervals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
10 words
The photosensor of claim 3, wherein said substrate is transparent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The photosensor of claim 1, wherein said first electrode is formed from a member selected from the group consisting of ITO and SnO 2 .
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The photosensor of claim 2, wherein said first electrode is a thin layer of a material selected from the group consisting of metal and a silicide.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The photosensor of claim 7, wherein said metal is a member selected from the group consisting of Pt and Au and said silicide is PtSi.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The photosensor of claim 1, wherein said multi-layer structure has two layers one of which is said first amorphous silicon layer containing oxygen and the remaining layer is an undoped amorphous silicon layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The photosensor of claim 9, wherein said second electrode is formed of a metal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The photosensor of claim 10, wherein said metal is a member selected from the group consisting of Al, Cr, NiCr, Mo, W, Ag and Ti.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
The photosensor of claim 9, wherein said second electrode has a two-layer structure of a first sublayer of polycrystalline silicon and a second sublayer of nmicrocrystalline silicon.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The photosensor of claim 1, wherein the amount of oxygen in said amorphous silicon layer ranges from 2 to 30 at omic %.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The photosensor of claim 1, wherein said first amorphous silicon layer contains nitrogen in an amount ranging from 0.5 to 10 atomic percent.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-11-05 | 1994-05-07 | 1994-11-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-11-05 | 1998-05-07 | 1998-11-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-11-05 | 2002-05-07 | 2002-11-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |