IR-optimized silicon demodulating detector with 3-dimensional electrodes

A novel electro-optical demodulating detector with 3-dimensional electrodes is presented in this paper. Thanks to a large substrate thickness, this device can combine high responsivity and demodulation contrast in the infrared spectral region, as needed in Time-of-Flight optical ranging applications. Proof-of-concept large-area detectors are fabricated on Floating Zone silicon, using Deep Reactive Ion Etching to form through-silicon columnar electrodes. The device operation principle is validated by experimental and simulation results. TCAD modeling is used to design detectors with scaled geometry suitable for integration in hybrid image sensors.