Embedded optical sensors using transverse Fabry-Perot resonator as detectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9520510-B2
Application number	US-201414550821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2014
Priority date	Dec 3, 2013
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A detector to detect light of a wavelength range and an incidence angle range, the detector including a substrate, a plurality of dielectric structures on the substrate, each one of the plurality of dielectric structures being to receive light through a side of the dielectric structure opposite the substrate, and a plurality of conductive structures on the substrate, consecutive conductive structures of the plurality of conductive structures having a corresponding dielectric structure of the plurality of dielectric structures therebetween, wherein the consecutive conductive structures and the corresponding dielectric structure form a cavity to induce an absorption resonance in response to receiving the light of the wavelength range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical light sensor to detect light of a wavelength range and an incidence angle range, the optical light sensor comprising:
a transistor integrated with a detector, comprising:
a substrate;
a plurality of dielectric structures on the substrate;
an electrode of the transistor on a dielectric structure of the plurality of dielectric structures, to block light of the wavelength range from reaching the dielectric structure, other ones of the plurality of dielectric structures being configured to receive light through a side of the dielectric structure opposite to the substrate;
a plurality of conductive structures on the substrate, consecutive conductive structures of the plurality of conductive structures having a corresponding dielectric structure of the plurality of dielectric structures therebetween, first ones of the plurality of conductive structures being coupled together, second ones of the plurality of conductive structures being coupled together, and the first and second ones of the plurality of conductive structures being alternately arranged; and
a transparent insulation layer on the plurality of dielectric structures and the plurality of conductive structures,
wherein the consecutive conductive structures and the corresponding dielectric structure form a cavity to induce an absorption resonance in response to receiving the light of the wavelength range.

2. The optical light sensor of claim 1 , wherein widths of successive ones of the plurality of dielectric structures progressively increase.

3. The optical light sensor of claim 1 , wherein widths of successive ones of the plurality of conductive structures progressively increase.

4. The optical light sensor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dielectric structures includes semiconductor materials.

5. The optical light sensor of claim 4 , wherein the semiconductor materials include at least one of silicon, amorphous silicon.

6. The optical light sensor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductive structures includes at least one of gold, silver, aluminum, copper.

7. The optical light sensor of claim 1 ,
wherein the consecutive conductive structures are to receive a differential voltage,
wherein the differential voltage induces the cavity to generate a current in response to light absorbed by the conductive and dielectric structures.

8. The optical light sensor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dielectric and conductive structures form a plurality of cavities comprising the cavity, each one of the plurality of cavities being configured to generate a signal in response to the received light having the wavelength range, the generated signal being indicative of the angle of incidence of the received light having the wavelength range.

9. The optical light sensor of claim 8 , further comprising a detection circuit to combine generated signals of neighboring cavities from the plurality of cavities in a predetermined phase relation, and to generate an output signal when an angle of incidence of the received light having the wavelength range is within the incidence angle range,
wherein the angle of incidence is an angle between an incidence plane and a normal plane orthogonal to the detector, both the incidence plane and the normal plane being in parallel with a lengthwise direction of a cavity of the plurality of cavities.

10. The optical light sensor of claim 1 , wherein the cavity is transparent to visible light.

11. A multi-cell detection unit to detect a normally incident light of a wavelength range, the multi-cell detection unit comprising:
a plurality of optical light sensors, each optical light sensor being configured to generate a signal in response to detecting light of the wavelength range having an incidence plane normal to the optical light sensor and parallel to a lengthwise direction of a cavity of the optical light sensor, each optical light sensor comprising:
a transistor integrated with a detector, comprising:
a substrate;
a plurality of dielectric structures on the substrate;
an electrode of the transistor on a dielectric structure of the plurality of dielectric structures, to block light of the wavelength range from reaching the dielectric structure, other ones of the plurality of dielectric structures being configured to receive light through a side of the dielectric structure opposite to the substrate;
a plurality of conductive structures on the substrate, consecutive conductive structures of the plurality of conductive structures having a corresponding dielectric structure of the plurality of dielectric structures therebetween, first ones of the plurality of conductive structures being coupled together, second ones of the plurality of conductive structures being coupled together, and the first and second ones of the plurality of conductive structures being alternately arranged; and
a transparent insulation layer on the plurality of dielectric structures and the plurality of conductive structures,
wherein the consecutive conductive structures and the corresponding dielectric structure form the cavity to induce an absorption resonance in response to receiving the light of the wavelength range,

wherein lengthwise directions of cavities of a first and second optical light sensors of the plurality of optical light sensors are at an angle to one another.

12. The multi-cell detection unit of claim 11 , wherein a concurrent detection by the first and second optical light sensors indicates detection of the normally incident light of the wavelength range.

13. The multi-cell detection unit of claim 11 , wherein the first and second optical light sensors are at a same plane, and the lengthwise directions of the cavities of the first and second optical light sensors are orthogonal to one another.

14. An optical light sensor to detect a light of a wavelength range, the optical light sensor comprising:
a transistor integrated with a detector, comprising:
a plurality of p-type semiconductors and a plurality of n-type semiconductors alternately arranged in a transverse direction;
a plurality of intrinsic semiconductors, each intrinsic semiconductor between a corresponding one of the p-type semiconductors and a corresponding one of the n-type semiconductors;
a plurality of electrodes on the plurality of p-type and n-type semiconductors, and forming a plurality of cavities with corresponding ones of the plurality of intrinsic semiconductors therebetwee;
a transparent insulation layer on the plurality of intrinsic semiconductors and the plurality of electrodes; and
a gate electrode of the transistor on a first cavity of the plurality of cavities, to block light of the wavelength range from reaching the cavity,
wherein first ones of the plurality of electrodes on the plurality of p-type semiconductors are coupled together, and second ones of the plurality of electrodes on the plurality of n-type semiconductors are coupled together, the first and second plurality of electrodes being alternately arranged,
wherein a second cavity of the plurality of cavities is exposed to incident light in a longitudinal direction and is configured to induce an absorption resonance in response to received light of the wavelength range.

15. The optical light sensor of claim 14 , wherein widths of successive ones of the plurality of intrinsic semiconductors and/or widths of successive ones of the plurality of electrodes progressively increase.

16. An optical sensing array to detect a light of a wavelength range, the optical sensing array comprising:
a plurality of row conductors;
a plurality of col

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Xue Jiuzhi
• Balram Krishna C
• Hoffman David M

Classifications

• H01L31/02327 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L29/7839

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F3/0421

  by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen · CPC title

• H01L31/022408

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/14609

  Electricity · mapped topic