Electro-optical transistor switching device

• US 3,413,480 A
• Filed: 11/29/1963
• Issued: 11/26/1968
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1963
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edward L. Bonin, Gary E. Pittman, Jack S. Kilby, James R. Biard
• Original Assignee: Edward L. Bonin, Gary E. Pittman, Jack S. Kilby, James R. Biard
• Inventors: Biard, James R., Bonin, Edward L., Kilby, Jack S., Pittman, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US04/327,136
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• US Class Current: 250/214.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/575 characterised by the feedback circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/00 Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate details thereof H01L23/00, H01L29/00 - H10K10/00; assemblies consisting of a plurality of individual solid state devices H01L25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/167 the light sources and the devices sensitive to radiation all being semiconductor devices characterised by potential barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/085 using opto-couplers between stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/343 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/795 controlling bipolar transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/7955 using phototransistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/14 using opto-electronic devices, i.e. light-emitting and photoelectric devices electrically- or optically-coupled optical logic elements G02F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/902 Optical coupling to semiconductor

Claims

1. AN ELECTRO-OPTICAL COUPLING SYSTEM COMPRISING:

(A) A TRANSISTOR COMPRISED OF A FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL HAVING A COLLECTOR REGION, A BASE REGION AND AN EMITTER REGION, (B) CONTACTS CONNECTED TO SAID COLLECTOR REGION AND SAID EMITTER REGION, (C) SAID TRANSISTOR BEING CHARACTERIZED BY THE ABSORPTION OF OPTICAL RADIATION INCIDENT THEREON WHICH HAS A PHOTON ENERGY GREATER THAN TE BAND GAP ENERGY OF SAID FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL FOR GENERATING EXCESS MINORITY CARRIES THEREIN AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID EXCESS MINORITY CARRIERS TO ALTER THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COLLECTOR-BASE AND BASE-EMITTER JUNCTIONS THEREOF WHEN SAID OPTICAL RADIATION IS ABSORBED WITHIN A MINORITY CARRIER DIFFUSION LENGTH FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID COLLECTOR-BASE AND BASE-EMITTER JUNCTIONS, (D) A LIGHT EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE ELECTRICALLY ISOLATED FROM BUT OPTICALLY COUPLED TO SAID TRANSISTOR AND HVING A FIRST REGION OF ONE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE AND A SECOND REGION OF AN OPPOSITE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE CONTIGUOUS TO AND FORMING A RECTIFYING JUNCTION WITH SAID FIRST REGION, SAID FIRST REGIONA ND A PORTION OF SAID SECOND REGION OF SAID LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE ARE COMPRISED OF A SECOND SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL HAVING A BAND GAP ENERGY GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL, AND THE REST OF SAID SECOND REGION IS COMPRISED OF A THIRD SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL HAVING A BAND GAP ENERGY GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID SECOND SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL WITH SAID SECOND REGION BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST REGION AND SAID TRANSISTOR, (E) SAID LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE BEING CHARACTERIZED BY THE GENERATION OF SAID OPTICAL RADIATION WHEN A FORWARD CURRENT IS CAUSED TO FLOW THROUGH THE RECTIFYING JUNCTION THEREOF, (F) SAID OPTICAL RADIATION GENERATED BY SAID LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A PHOTON ENERGY GREATER THAN THE BAND GAP ENERGY OF SAID FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL IN WHICH AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF IS ABSORBED IN SAID TRANSISTOR WITHIN A MINORITY CARRIER DIFFUSION LENGTH FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID COLLECTOR-BASE AND BASE-EMITTER JUNCTIONS.