Light receiving unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11031519-B2
Application number	US-201916673160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2019
Priority date	May 2, 2017
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A light receiving unit having a first energy source made up of two sub sources. A first terminal contact is formed at the upper face of the first sub source and a second terminal contact is formed at the lower face of the second sub source. The sub source has at least one semiconductor diode that has an absorption edge adapted to a first wavelength of light and the second semiconductor diode has an absorption edge adapted to a second wavelength of light which is different from the first wavelength of light, such that the first sub source generates electric voltage upon being irradiated with the first wavelength of light and the second sub source generates electric voltage upon being irradiated with the second wavelength of light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light receiving unit comprising:
a first energy source, the first energy source comprising a first and a second sub source formed as a current source or a voltage source, the first energy source only having a first electric terminal contact and a second electric terminal contact, the first terminal contact being formed on an upper face of the first sub source and the second terminal contact being formed on a lower face of the second sub source;
at least one first semiconductor diode provided in the first sub source; and
at least one second semiconductor diode provided in the second sub source,
wherein the first semiconductor diode has an absorption edge adapted to a first wavelength of light and the second semiconductor diode has an absorption edge adapted to a second wavelength of light so that the first sub source generates an electric voltage upon being irradiated with the first wavelength of light and the second sub source generates an electric voltage upon being irradiated with the second wavelength of light,
wherein the first wavelength of light differs from the second wavelength of light by a differential wavelength,
wherein the first semiconductor diode is connected in series with the second semiconductor diode so that a polarization of the first semiconductor diode is opposite to a polarization of the second semiconductor diode, such that the voltage generated by the first semiconductor diode and the second semiconductor diode at least partly compensate for each other, and
wherein a current distribution layer is arranged between the first sub source and the second sub voltage source.

2. The light receiving unit according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second sub sources have a plurality of semiconductor layers, the semiconductor layers for each of the first and second sub sources being arranged in a stacked manner, each of the first and second sub sources having an upper face and a lower face, and wherein the lower face of the first sub source is arranged on the upper face of the second sub source, and wherein the first sub source and the second sub source are monolithically integrated so that the first and second sub sources form a common stack with a front side and a rear side.

3. The light receiving unit according to claim 1 , wherein the light receiving unit has a first depletion-type transistor, wherein the first terminal contact of the first energy source is connected to a gate terminal of the first transistor and the second terminal contact of the first energy source is connected to the source terminal of the first transistor.

4. The light receiving unit according to claim 1 , wherein the light receiving unit has a second energy source, and wherein the second energy source is substantially identical in design to that of the first energy source.

5. The light receiving unit according to claim 4 , wherein the light receiving unit has a first depletion-type transistor and a second depletion-type transistor, wherein the first transistor is an n-channel transistor and the second transistor is a p-channel transistor, wherein the first terminal contact of the first energy source is connected to a gate terminal of the first transistor, and wherein the second terminal contact of the first energy source is connected to a source terminal of the first transistor, and wherein the first terminal contact of the second energy source is connected to a gate terminal of the second transistor and the second terminal contact of the second energy source is connected to a source terminal of the second transistor.

6. The light receiving unit according to claim 1 , wherein the first sub source and/or the second sub source comprises a compound semiconductor from the substance group of III-arsenide or III-phosphides, or wherein the first sub source and/or the second sub source comprises a GaAs compound.

7. The light receiving unit according to claim 1 , wherein the polarization of the first semiconductor diode being opposite to the polarization of the second semiconductor diode forms a XOR connective.

8. The light receiving unit according to claim 1 , wherein the first semiconductor diode and the second semiconductor diode act as a voltage source.

9. A light receiving unit comprising:
a first energy source, the first energy source comprising a first and a second sub source formed as a current source or a voltage source, the first energy source having a first electric terminal contact and a second electric terminal contact, the first terminal contact being formed on an upper face of the first sub source and the second terminal contact being formed on a lower face of the second sub source;
a second energy source;
at least one first semiconductor diode provided in the first sub source; and
at least one second semiconductor diode provided in the second sub source,
wherein the first semiconductor diode has an absorption edge adapted to a first wavelength of light and the second semiconductor diode has an absorption edge adapted to a second wavelength of light so that the first sub source generates an electric voltage upon being irradiated with the first wavelength of light and the second sub source generates an electric voltage upon being irradiated with the second wavelength of light,
wherein the first wavelength of light differs from the second wavelength of light by a differential wavelength,
wherein the first semiconductor diode is connected in series with the second semiconductor diode so that a polarization of the first semiconductor diode is opposite to a polarization of the second semiconductor diode, such that the voltage generated by the first semiconductor diode and the second semiconductor diode at least partly compensate for each other, and
wherein an electrically insulating barrier is arranged between the first energy source and the second energy source.

10. The light receiving unit according to claim 9 , wherein a current distribution layer is arranged between the first sub source and the second sub voltage source.

11. An optocoupler comprising:
a light receiving unit comprising:
a first energy source, the first enemy source comprising a first and a second sub source formed as a current source or a voltage source, the first energy source having a first electric terminal contact and a second electric terminal contact, the first terminal contact being formed on an upper face of the first sub source and the second terminal contact being formed on a lower face of the second sub source;
at least one first semiconductor diode provided in the first sub source; and
at least one second semiconductor diode provided in the second sub source,
wherein the first semiconductor diode has an absorption edge adapted to a first wavelength of light and the second semiconductor diode has an absorption edge adapted to a second wavelength of light so that the first sub source generates an electric voltage upon being irradiated with the first wavelength of light and the second sub source generates an electric voltage upon being irradiated with the second wavelength of light,
wherein the first wavelength of light differs from the second wavelength of light by a differential wavelength,
wherein the first semiconductor diode is connected in series with the second semiconductor diode so that a polarization of the first semiconductor diode is opposite to a polarization of the second semiconductor diode, such that the voltage generated by the first semiconductor diode and the second semiconductor diode at least partly compensate for each other; and

a transmitting unit,
wherein the light receiving unit and the transmitting unit are isolated from one another and optically coupled to one

Assignees

• Azur Space Solar Power Gmbh

Inventors

• Lauermann Thomas
• Peper Christoph
• Koestler Wolfgang

Classifications

• H10F77/124

  comprising only Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs · CPC title

• H10F30/282

  Insulated-gate field-effect transistors [IGFET], e.g. MISFET [metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor] phototransistors · CPC title

• H10F30/22

  the devices having only one potential barrier, e.g. photodiodes · CPC title

• H10F55/25 Primary

  wherein the radiation-sensitive devices and the electric light source are all semiconductor devices · CPC title

• H03K19/14

  using opto-electronic devices, i.e. light-emitting and photoelectric devices electrically- or optically-coupled (optical logic elements G02F3/00) · CPC title