Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Non-single crystal – or recrystallized – semiconductor... – Amorphous semiconductor material
Patent
1998-09-25
1999-12-07
Ngo, Ngan V.
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Non-single crystal, or recrystallized, semiconductor...
Amorphous semiconductor material
257 63, 257185, 257191, 257440, 257458, 257460, H01L 2904, H01L 310328, H01L 310336
Patent
active
059988061
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a multi layer pin or nip structure with a plurality of i layers which are bounded on one side by a p layer and on the other side by a n layer. The invention further relates to an electrooptical component containing such a structure, especially a multicolor sensor, on the basis of a pin or nip structure according. The invention also relates to a process for producing such a structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The components known in of the art based upon amorphous silicon or its alloys are comprised of two antiserially-arranged pin or nip diodes for forming a pinip structure or a nipin structure. The diodes are here arranged substantially perpendicular to the incident light direction.
Such an nipin structure having a photosensitive electronic component based upon amorphous silicon is known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,047. It is known to optimize such a nipin structure with reference to the spectral sensitivity dependent on the voltage applied to this structure.
The incorporation of additional intrinsically conducting layers on both sides of the p-doped layer with a band gap between 1.74 eV and 1.9 eV, can improve the blue/green sensitivity in of an nip structure in the incident light direction or the red/green separation in a following pin structure in the incident light direction. (Q. Zhu, H. Stiebig, P. Rieve, J. Giehl, M. Sommer, M. Bohm, "NEW TYPE OF THIN FILM IMAGE SENSOR" in Sensors and Control for Advanced Automation, edited by M. Becker, R. W. Daniel, O. Loffeld, Proc. SPEI 2247 (1994) 301).
It is known to absorb blue light preferentially in the first intrinsically-conducting (i) layer, to absorb green light in the front part of the intrinsically-conducting layer and rear diode and to absorb red light by reduction of the .mu..tau. product in the rear part of the second intrinsically-conducting layer. For that purpose a nipin structure is used in which one or more additional intrinsic layers are provided. (H. Stiebig, J. Giehl, D. Knipp, P. Rieve, M. Bohm, AMORPHOUS SILICON THREE COLOR DETECTOR in MRS Symp. Proc. 377 (1995) 813 or H. Stiebig, C. Ulrichs, T. Kulessa, J. Folsch, F. Finger, H. Wagner, TRANSIENT PHOTOCURRENT RESPONSE OF A-SI:H BASED THREE COLOR NIPIN DETECTORS, in ICAS 16, Kobe, Japan, Sep. 4-8 1995). Here .tau. is the lifetime of the charge carrier generated by the instant light and .mu. is its mobility.
A disadvantage of the known components described is that only up to three linear independent structural sensitivity paths can be detected with this construction of the layer system. As a result a comparatively expensive superposition of these three independent signals is required for color image processing.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention, therefore, to provide a structure with a plurality of i layers in which the independent signals are so obtained that less superposition is required to the point that it is possible to avoid such superpositioning altogether.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an economically fabricated optoelectronic component, especially a multicolor sensor, the spectral sensitivity of which can be continuously shifted by variation of the applied voltage and thus a spectral sensitivity with desired boundary conditions can be obtained for the detection of more than three linearly independent curves or graphs of the spectral sensitivity in the incident light range from UV to near IR.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These objects are attained with a structure wherein a plurality of i layers are bonded on one side with a p layer and on the other side with an n layer. These i (intrinsically conducting) layers are formed so that they constitute:
in the incident light direction at least in the boundary region between two neighboring i layers (i.sup.I, i.sup.II), a band gap Eg(I) of the respective first i layer (i.sup.I) at the side neighboring the light input side, which is greater than a band gap E.sub.g (II) of the second neighboring i layer (i.sup.I) which is further aw
REFERENCES:
patent: 5557133 (1996-09-01), De Cesare et al.
patent: 5682037 (1997-10-01), De Cesare et al.
Amorpghous Silicon Three Color Detector by H. Stiebig et al. (Mat.Res.Soc. Symp. Proc. vol. 377-1995).
Tunable Photodetectors Based on Amorphous Si/SiC Heterostructures by De Cesare et al. (8093 IEEE Transactions on Electronic Devices 42(May 1995) No. 5).
Amorphous Si/SiC Three-Color Detector by Hsiung-Kuang Tsai et al. (published Nov. 12, 1987 by University of Taiwan).
Folsch Joachim
Knipp Dietmar
Stiebig Helmut
Dubno Herbert
Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH
Ngo Ngan V.
LandOfFree
Three-color sensor with a pin or nip series of layers does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Three-color sensor with a pin or nip series of layers, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Three-color sensor with a pin or nip series of layers will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-826636