Photoelectric converting apparatus

Claim 2

A photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: an n-type semiconductor substrate; a p-type base region, said p-type base region comprising a low concentration region of low impurity concentration and a high concentration region of high impurity concentration, wherein carriers generated by photo-excitation are accumulated in said higher concentration region and wherein said p-type base region has no direct electrical connection to an external lead; an n + emitter region comprising an emitter electrode, said emitter region being formed by doping impurities into said substrate and said emitter region being in contact with said low concentration region, wherein a transistor configuration is defined by said p-type base region, said n + emitter region and said substrate, wherein said low concentration region is provided between said n-type semiconductor substrate and said n + emitter region, wherein a signal is read out from said emitter electrode in response to accumulated carriers when said emitter electrode is at a floating potential; and an n - collector region having a lower impurity concentration than said n + emitter region, wherein said p-type base region is disposed on said n - collector region and at least a portion of said n + emitter region is in contact with said high impurity concentration region of said p-type base region.

Claim 3

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said n-type semiconductor substrate comprises an n-type silicon substrate, and wherein an n - region is provided on said n-type silicon substrate.

Claim 4

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an element isolation region provided at a periphery of said n + emitter region and said p-type base region for electrically isolating said n + emitter region and said p-type base region from other elements in said n-type semiconductor substrate.

Claim 5

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said n + emitter region contacts said high impurity concentration region of said p-type base region at a side surface of said n + emitter region.

Claim 6

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said n + emitter region is surrounded by said low impurity concentration region of said p-type base region.

Claim 7

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an insulating layer disposed opposing said base region: and a polysilicon region disposed on said insulating layer.

Claim 8

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a p + region arrange physically separated from said p-type base region in said n-type semiconductor substrate; an insulating layer disposed on said p-type base region and said p + region; and an electrode disposed on said insulating layer.

Claim 9

A semiconductor apparatus comprising: a photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type having a higher impurity concentration than said first semiconductor region; a third semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, operatively associated to said first and second semiconductor regions to define with said first and second semiconductor regions a transistor configuration, for accumulating photo-excited carriers in said third semiconductor region, said second semiconductor region being in contact with said third semiconductor region; a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type provided between said first and second semiconductor regions, and doped with impurities having a concentration lower than that of said third semiconductor region; means for extracting directly from said third semiconductor region at a floating potential a signal representative of a number of carriers accumulated in said transistor configuration; and a MOS transistor having source and drain regions, wherein one of said source and drain regions comprises said second semiconductor region.

Claim 10

A semiconductor apparatus comprising: a photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type having a higher impurity concentration than said first semiconductor region; a third semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, operatively associated to said first and second semiconductor regions to define with said first and second semiconductor regions a transistor configuration, for accumulating photo-excited carriers in said third semiconductor region, said second semiconductor region being in contact with said third semiconductor region; a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type provided between said first and second semiconductor regions, and doped with impurities having a concentration lower than that of said third semiconductor region; means for extracting directly from said third semiconductor region at a floating potential a signal representative of a number of carriers accumulated in said transistor configuration; and a MOS transistor having source and drain regions, wherein one of said source and drain regions comprises said second semiconductor region.

Claim 11

A semiconductor apparatus comprising: a photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: an n-type semiconductor substrate; a p-type base region, said p-type base region comprising a low concentration region of low impurity concentration and a high concentration region of high impurity concentration, wherein carriers generated by photo-excitation are accumulated in said higher concentration region and wherein said p-type base region has no direct electrical connection to an external lead; an n + emitter region comprising an emitter electrode, said emitter region being formed by doping impurities into said substrate and said emitter region being in contact with said high concentration region, wherein a transistor configuration is defined by said p-type base region, said n + emitter region and said substrate, wherein said low concentration region is provided between said n-type semiconductor substrate and said n + emitter region, wherein a signal is read out from said emitter electrode in response to accumulated carriers when said emitter electrode is at a floating potential; an n - collector region having a lower impurity concentration than said n + emitter region, wherein said p-type base region is disposed on said n - collector region; and a MOS reset transistor having source and drain regions, wherein one of said source and drain regions comprises said p-type base region.

Claim 12

A semiconductor apparatus comprising: a photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: an n-type semiconductor substrate; a p-type base region, said p-type base region comprising a low concentration region of low impurity concentration and a high concentration region of high impurity concentration, wherein carriers generated by photo-excitation are accumulated in said higher concentration region and wherein said p-type base region has no direct electrical connection to an external lead; an n + emitter region comprising an emitter electrode, said emitter region being formed by doping impurities into said substrate and said emitter region being in contact with said high concentration region, wherein a transistor configuration is defined by said p-type base region, said n + emitter region and said substrate, wherein said low concentration region is provided between said n-type semiconductor substrate and said n + emitter region, wherein a signal is read out from said emitter electrode in response to accumulated carriers when said emitter electrode is at a floating potential; an n - collector region having a lower impurity concentration than said n + emitter region, wherein said p-type base region is disposed on said n - collector region; and a MOS reset transistor having source and drain regions, wherein one of said source and drain regions comprises said p-type base region.

Claim 13

A semiconductor apparatus comprising: a photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type having a higher impurity concentration than said first semiconductor region; a third semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, operatively associated to said first and second semiconductor regions to define with said first and second semiconductor regions a transistor configuration, for accumulating photo-excited carriers in said third semiconductor region, said second semiconductor region being in contact with said third semiconductor region; a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type provided between said first and second semiconductor regions, and doped with impurities having a concentration lower than that of said third semiconductor region; means for extracting directly from said third semiconductor region at a floating potential a signal representative of a number of carriers accumulated in said transistor configuration; and a MOS reset transistor having source and drain regions, wherein one of said source and drain regions comprises said second semiconductor region.

Claim 14

A semiconductor apparatus comprising: a photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type having a higher impurity concentration than said first semiconductor region; a third semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, operatively associated to said first and second semiconductor regions to define with said first and second semiconductor regions a transistor configuration, for accumulating photo-excited carriers in said third semiconductor region, said second semiconductor region being in contact with said third semiconductor region; a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type provided between said first and second semiconductor regions, and doped with impurities having a concentration lower than that of said third semiconductor region; means for extracting directly from said third semiconductor region at a floating potential a signal representative of a number of carriers accumulated in said transistor configuration; and a MOS reset transistor having source and drain regions, wherein one of said source and drain regions comprises said second semiconductor region.

Claim 15

A photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type having a higher impurity concentration than said first semiconductor region; a third semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, operatively associated to said first and second semiconductor regions to define with said first and second semiconductor regions a transistor configuration, for accumulating photo-excited carriers in said third semiconductor region, said second semiconductor region being in contact with said third semiconductor region; a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type provided between said first and second semiconductor regions, and doped with impurities having a concentration lower than that of said third semiconductor region; and means for extracting directly from said third semiconductor region at a floating potential a signal representative of a number of carriers accumulated in said transistor configuration.

Claim 16

A photoelectric converting apparatus comprising: a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type having a higher impurity concentration than said first semiconductor region; a third semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, operatively associated to said first and second semiconductor regions to define with said first and second semiconductor regions a transistor configuration, for accumulating photo-excited carriers in said third semiconductor region, said second semiconductor region being in contact with said third semiconductor region; a fourth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type provided between said first and second semiconductor regions, and doped with impurities having a concentration lower than that of said third semiconductor region; and means for extracting directly from said third semiconductor region at a floating potential a signal representative of a number of carriers accumulated in said transistor configuration.

Claim 17

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said first conductivity type is n-type.

Claim 18

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said first semiconductor region comprises an n-type silicon substrate and an n - region provided on said substrate.

Claim 19

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein at least a portion of said second semiconductor region is in contact with said third semiconductor region.

Claim 20

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said second semiconductor region is in contact with said third semiconductor region at a side surface of said second semiconductor region.

Claim 21

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said second semiconductor region is surrounded by said fourth semiconductor region.

Claim 22

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a conductive portion provided at a position opposite to said third semiconductor region.

Claim 23

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: an insulating layer disposed opposite to said third semiconductor region; and a polysilicon region disposed on said insulating layer.

Claim 24

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a fifth semiconductor region of the second conductivity type provided within said first semiconductor region; and an insulating layer disposed on said first and fifth semiconductor regions; and an electrode disposed on said insulating layer.

Claim 25

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: an element isolation region provided at a periphery of said second and third semiconductor regions for electrically isolating said first semiconductor region, said third semiconductor region and said fourth semiconductor region from other elements.

Claim 26

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said element isolation region is of the first conductivity type and is doped with impurities at a concentration higher than that of said first semiconductor region.

Claim 27

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impurity concentration of said higher concentration region is in the range of 1×10 17 cm -3 to 5×10 19 cm -3 .

Claim 28

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impurity concentration of said lower concentration region is in the range of 1×10 15 cm -3 to 5×10 17 cm -3 .

Claim 29

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the impurity concentration of said third semiconductor region is in the range of 1×10 17 cm -3 to 5×10 19 cm -3 .

Claim 30

A photoelectric converting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the impurity concentration of said fourth semiconductor region is in the range of 1×10 15 cm -3 to 5×10 17 cm -3 .