Embodiments describe a solid state electronic scanning LIDAR system that includes a scanning focal plane transmitting element and a scanning focal plane receiving element whose operations are synchronized so that the firing sequence of an emitter array in the transmitting element corresponds to a capturing sequence of a photosensor array in the receiving element. During operation, the emitter array can sequentially fire one or more light emitters into a scene and the reflected light can be received by a corresponding set of one or more photosensors through an aperture layer positioned in front of the photosensors. Each light emitter can correspond with an aperture in the aperture layer, and each aperture can correspond to a photosensor in the receiving element such that each light emitter corresponds with a specific photosensor in the receiving element.

The invention relates to a photodetector, including a SPAD type photodiode comprising, in a semiconductor substrate, a first doped region of a first conductivity type and a second doped region of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type so as to produce a PN junction; a quenching transistor comprising, in the substrate, a channel of the second conductivity type, a gate electrically isolated from the substrate by a dielectric layer, a third doped region of the first conductivity type flush with an upper face of the substrate. The dielectric layer is inserted between the gate and the first doped region, the channel is delimited by the first doped region and the third doped region.

An apparatus wherein, in plane view, a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type overlaps at least a portion of a third semiconductor region, a second semiconductor region overlaps at least a portion of a fourth semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, a height of a potential of the third semiconductor region with respect to an electric charge of the first conductivity type is lower than that of the fourth semiconductor region, and a difference between a height of a potential of the first semiconductor region and that of the third semiconductor region is larger than a difference between a height of a potential of the second semiconductor region and that of the fourth semiconductor region.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an avalanche diode, a detection unit configured to detect an avalanche current generated by avalanche multiplication in the avalanche diode, a switch disposed between the avalanche diode and the detection unit, and a reset unit configured to reset a node between the switch and the detection unit. The reset unit resets the node during a period in which the switch is in an off state.

An apparatus in which a photoelectric conversion unit is disposed on a semiconductor substrate including a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface includes a first region of a first conductivity type constituting a part of the first surface and connected to a detection circuit configured to detect avalanche breakdown, a second region of the first conductivity type disposed away from the first region, a third region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, the third region disposed at a position closer to the second surface than the first and second regions, and a fourth region disposed between the first and second regions. The second and third regions function as an avalanche photodiode. The first and second regions are configured to be conductive with each other via the fourth region.

A multispectral sensor array can include a combination of ranging sensor channels (e.g., LIDAR sensor channels) and ambient-light sensor channels tuned to detect ambient light having a channel-specific property (e.g., color). The sensor channels can be arranged and spaced to provide multispectral images of a field of view in which the multispectral images from different sensors are inherently aligned with each other to define an array of multispectral image pixels. Various optical elements can be provided to facilitate imaging operations. Light ranging/imaging systems incorporating multispectral sensor arrays can operate in rotating and/or static modes.

This disclosure is directed to a high-speed avalanche photodiode device configured to detect single photons. The avalanche photodiode device may include a passive quenching circuitry. The passive quenching circuitry may include a quenching resistor having a resistivity spontaneously adaptive to a bias voltage applied across the quenching resistor. Such adaptive resistivity enables a fast response time for the avalanche photodiode device when used to detect single photos in Geiger mode.

A semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate having a surface, an N-type doped region in the semiconductor substrate, and a P-type doped region in the semiconductor substrate. The P-type and N-type doped regions form a first PN junction that orients along a first axis parallel to the surface. The semiconductor substrate includes a second PN junction that orients along a second axis that intersects the surface. The second PN junction includes one of the N-type or P-type doped regions. A first field plate is electrically coupled to the N-type doped region and extends over a first part of the semiconductor substrate between the N-type and P-type doped regions. A second field plate is electrically coupled to the P-type doped region and extends over a second part of the semiconductor substrate between the N-type and P-type doped region. The first and second field plates are separated by a gap.

An optical detection portion includes a substrate of a first conductivity type, a semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type provided on the substrate, a first conductivity-type layer provided in the semiconductor layer, and a second conductivity-type layer provided on the first conductivity-type layer. The circuit portion includes a first well of a second conductivity type provided in the semiconductor layer, a second well of the first conductivity type provided in the first well, a first drain layer provided in the second well, a first source layer provided in the second well, a second drain layer provided in the first well, and a second source layer.

Single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) and image sensing devices are disclosed. In an embodiment, a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) includes: an impurity junction region configured to include a plurality of depletion regions, wherein, each depletion region is an junction formed between a first doped region doped with impurities of a first conductivity type and a second doped region doped with impurities of a second conductivity type; an output node formed above the impurity junction region and in contact with one surface of a substrate; a guard-ring region formed to surround the impurity junction region; and a biasing node spaced apart from the guard-ring region and disposed at one side of the guard-ring region.