US5435608A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Radiation imager with common passivation dielectric for gate electrode and photosensor
Assignee: General Electric Co
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Filing: 1994-06-17
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Granted: 1995-07-25
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Expires: 2014-06-17
Abstract
Abstract A solid state radiation imager pixel having a thin film transistor (TFT) coupled to a photodiode in which the photodiode and the TFT each comprise a common dielectric layer, that is, a single dielectric layer that extends across the pixel and that has a gate dielectric layer portion and a photodiode body passivation portion. The common dielectric layer comprises a monolithic dielectric material such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide. Further, the bottom electrode of the photosensor body and the gate electrode are each disposed on a common surface of the substrate and comprise the same conductive material, the conductive material having been deposited on the pixel in the same deposition process. The source and drain electrodes and the common contact electrode for the photodiode each comprises the same source/drain metal conductive material, the conductive material having been deposited on the pixel in the same deposition process.
Inventors
- 👤 Ching-Yeu Wei
- 👤 Roger S. Salisbury
- 👤 Robert F. Kwasnick
- 👤 Brian W. Giambattista
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 13:22
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10F; H10F39/00; H10F39/10; H10F39/12; H10F39/18; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/958
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A solid state radiation imager comprising: a photosensor array disposed on a substrate, said photosensor array comprising a plurality of individually-addressable pixels, each of said pixels comprising: a photosensor having a body comprising photosensitive material disposed on an electrically conductive bottom electrode; and a thin film transistor (TFT) electrically coupled to said photosensor bottom electrode and to an address line, said TFT being disposed so as to selectively couple said photosensor to said address line in correspondence with a voltage applied to a gate electrode in said TFT; said photosensor and said TFT further comprising a common dielectric layer, said common dielectric layer comprising a substantially monolithic dielectric material having a gate dielectric layer portion and a photosensor body passivation portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
A solid state radiation imager comprising: a photosensor array disposed on a substrate, said photosensor array comprising a plurality of individually-addressable pixels, each of said pixels comprising: a photosensor having a body comprising photosensitive material disposed on an electrically conductive bottom electrode; and a thin film transistor (TFT) electrically coupled to said photosensor bottom electrode and to an address line, said TFT being disposed so as to selectively couple said photosensor to said address line in correspondence with a voltage applied to a gate electrode in said TFT; said photosensor and said TFT further comprising a common dielectric layer, said common dielectric layer comprising a substantially monolithic dielectric material having a gate dielectric layer portion and a photosensor body passivation portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said gate electrode and said photosensor bottom electrode are each disposed on a first surface of said substrate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The device of claim 2 wherein said photosensor bottom electrode and said gate electrode each comprise the same conductive material, said material having been deposited at the same time in the fabrication of said array.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The device of claim 2 wherein said common dielectric layer further comprises a respective photosensor bottom electrode via and a photosensor common electrode via.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
The device of claim 4 wherein said TFT is disposed in a spaced relationship with said gate electrode such that said gate dielectric portion of said common dielectric layer is disposed between said gate electrode and said body of said TFT.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said common dielectric layer comprises a dielectric material selected from the group comprising silicon nitride and silicon oxide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The device of claim 6 wherein said common dielectric layer has a thickness between about 500 Å, and 5000 Å.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
68 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said TFT comprises source and drain electrodes disposed to couple said TFT to a respective address line and to the respective photosensor bottom electrode; said photosensor comprises a common electrode; and said source and drain electrodes and said photosensor common electrode each comprise the same conductive material, said material having been deposited at the same time in the fabrication of said array.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
11 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said photosensor comprises a photodiode.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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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) | 1998-07-24 | 1999-01-23 | 1999-07-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-07-24 | 2003-01-23 | 2003-07-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-07-24 | 2007-01-23 | 2007-07-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |