Solid state photomultiplier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9568620-B2
Application number	US-201514851518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2015
Priority date	Sep 22, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of a solid state photomultiplier are provided herein. In some embodiments, a photosensor may include a sensing element; and readout electronics, wherein the sensing element is AC coupled to the readout electronics. In some embodiments, a solid state photomultipler may include a microcell having; a sensing element; and readout electronics, wherein the sensing element is AC coupled to the readout electronics.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microcell for a photosensor, comprising:
a sensing element; and
readout electronics, wherein the sensing element is AC coupled to the readout electronics via a capacitor, wherein the capacitor is formed by at least one low voltage well and at least one high voltage well, wherein the at least one low voltage well and the at least one high voltage well are formed within a substrate.

2. The microcell of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of photodiodes;
a plurality of quenching resistors each having a first end respectively coupled to the plurality of photodiodes and each having a second end electrically coupled to one another and electrically coupled to the readout electonics via the capacitor.

3. The microcell of claim 1 , wherein the low voltage well is disposed within the high voltage well.

4. The microcell of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the low voltage well is disposed about a periphery of the high voltage well.

5. The microcell of claim 1 , wherein the capacitor is formed by an isolation well disposed between the at least one high voltage well and the at least one low voltage well.

6. The microcell of claim 5 , wherein the isolation well comprises a nested well disposed within the isolation well, wherein the isolation well comprises one of a p-type dopant or an n-type dopant and wherein the nested well comprises one of a p-type dopant or an n-type dopant that is opposite that of the isolation well.

7. The microcell of claim 1 , wherein the sensing element comprises an avalanche photodiode operating in Geiger mode above breakdown voltage.

8. The microcell of claim 1 , wherein the sensing element comprises at least one of quench resistor and impedance circuitry.

9. The microcell of claim 8 , wherein the impedance circuitry comprises at least one of passive and active elements.

10. A solid state photomultiplier, comprising:
a microcell having;
a sensing element; and
readout electronics, wherein the sensing element is AC coupled to the readout electronics via a capacitor, wherein the capacitor is formed by at least one low voltage well and at least one high voltage well, wherein the at least one low voltage well and the at least one high voltage well are formed within a substrate.

11. The solid state photomultiplier of claim 10 , wherein the microcell further comprises:
a plurality of photodiodes;
a plurality of quenching resistors each having a first end respectively coupled to the plurality of photodiodes and each having a second end electrically coupled to one another and electrically coupled to the readout electonics via the capacitor.

12. The solid state photomultiplier of claim 10 , wherein the low voltage well is disposed within the high voltage well.

13. The solid state photomultiplier of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of the low voltage well is disposed about a periphery of the high voltage well.

14. The solid state photomultiplier of claim 10 , wherein the capacitor is formed by an isolation well disposed between the at least one high voltage well and the at least one low voltage well.

15. The solid state photomultiplier of claim 14 , wherein the isolation well comprises a nested well disposed within the isolation well, wherein the isolation well comprises one of a p-type dopant or an n-type dopant and wherein the nested well comprises one of a p-type dopant or an n-type dopant that is opposite that of the isolation well.

16. The solid state photomultiplier of claim 10 , wherein the photodiode comprises an avalanche photodiode operating in Geiger mode above breakdown voltage.

17. The solid state photomultiplier of claim 10 , wherein the sensing element comprises at least one of quench resistor and impedance circuitry.

18. The solid state photomultiplier of claim 17 , wherein the impedance circuitry comprises at least one of passive and active elements.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Guo Jianjun
• Dolinsky Sergei Ivanovich
• Mcdaniel David Leo
• Short Jonathan David

Classifications

• G01T1/249

  specially adapted for use in SPECT or PET (SPECT imaging G01T1/1642; PET imaging G01T1/2985; detecting prohibited goods, e.g. weapons, explosives, hazardous substances, contraband or smuggled objects G01V5/20) · CPC title

• G01T1/247

  Detector read-out circuitry (for processing gain or off-set correction H04N) · CPC title

• G01T1/248 Primary

  Silicon photomultipliers [SiPM], e.g. an avalanche photodiode [APD] array on a common Si substrate · CPC title

• H01L31/107

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/32

  Transforming X-rays (cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from X-rays H04N23/30; circuitry of SSIS for transforming X-rays into image signals H04N25/30) · CPC title