Solid state optical shutter
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A solid-state optoelectronic shutter having an input face and an output face, comprising a semiconductor material, having formed therein or thereon:
- a planar photodiode, having a planar surface, and optically communicating with the input face;
a planar LED layer, having a planar surface substantially parallel to the planar photodiode, and optically communicating with the output face;
a planar gate layer, intermediate the planar photodiode and the planar LED which gates the flow of charge carriers between the photodiode and the LED; and
first and second transparent, conductive coatings on the input and output faces, respectively, a control voltage source which applies a control voltage is applied between the first and second coatings to switch or modulate light generated at the output face.
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Abstract
A solid-state optoelectronic shutter having an input and an output, comprising a semiconductor material, having formed therein or thereon: a planar photodiode (24), having a planar surface, and optically communicating with the input; a planar LED layer (26), having a planar surface substantially parallel to the planar photodiode, and optionally communicating with the output; and a planar gate layer (28), intermediate the planar photodiode and the planar LED.
41 Citations
46 Claims
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1. A solid-state optoelectronic shutter having an input face and an output face, comprising a semiconductor material, having formed therein or thereon:
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a planar photodiode, having a planar surface, and optically communicating with the input face;
a planar LED layer, having a planar surface substantially parallel to the planar photodiode, and optically communicating with the output face;
a planar gate layer, intermediate the planar photodiode and the planar LED which gates the flow of charge carriers between the photodiode and the LED; and
first and second transparent, conductive coatings on the input and output faces, respectively, a control voltage source which applies a control voltage is applied between the first and second coatings to switch or modulate light generated at the output face. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 39, 40, 41, 42)
an optical detector array, having a front surface; and
a shutter according to claim 1, optically coupled to the front surface of the array so as to modulate light incident on the array through the shutter.
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40. A device according to claim 39 wherein the output surface of the shutter is fixed with respect to the front surface of the array.
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41. A device according to claim 39, wherein the output surface of the shutter is directly attached to the front surface of the array.
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42. A device according to claim 39, ad comprising a faceplate, which conveys an optical image between first and second sides thereof, wherein the first side of the faceplate is attached to the output face of the shutter, and the second side of the faceplate is attached to the front surface of the array.
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19. An optical shutter comprising:
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a photodiode which receives light an produces charge carriers;
a LED which receives the charge carriers and produces light responsive to the carriers;
a gate which gates the flow of carriers from the photodiode to the LED; and
a transparent, conductive layer between the photodiode and the gate;
wherein said photodiode, LED, gate and conductive layer form a monolithic structure. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
an optical detector array, having a front surface; and
a shutter according to claim 19, optically coupled to the front surface of the array so as to modulate light incident on the array through the shutter.
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27. A method for producing an integrated imaging device, comprising providing an optoelectronic shutter according to claim 19 and optically coupling the shutter to a front surface of an optical detector array.
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28. A method for producing an optoelectronic device, comprising:
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providing a generally planar substrate made of semiconductor material, having input and output faces;
producing a planar photodiode proximate the input face, external to the gate layer;
producing a LED proximate the output face, external to the gate layer;
producing a gate layer within the substrate between the input and output faces, which gate layer gates the flow of carriers between the photodiode and the LED; and
depositing transparent, conductive coatings on the input and output faces. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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43. An integrated image detection device, comprising:
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an optical detector array, having a front surface; and
a solid state optoelectronic shutter having an input face and an output face, comprising a semiconductor material, having formed thereon or therein;
a planar photodiode, having a planar surface, and optically communicating with the input face;
a planar LED layer, having a planar surface substantially parallel to the planar photodiode, and optically communicating with the output face; and
a planar gate layer, intermediate the planar photodiode and the planar LED which gate layer controls carrier flow between the photodiode and the LED;
said shutter being optically coupled to the front surface of the array so as to modulate light incident on the array through the shutter.
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44. An integrated image detection device, comprising:
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a monolithic solid state optical shutter having an input face and an output face, comprising a semiconductor material, having formed thereon or therein;
a photodiode which receives light and produces charge carriers;
a LED which receives the charge carriers and produces light responsive to the carriers; and
a gate which gates the flow of carriers from the photodiode to the LED; and
an optical detector array, having a front surface which receives light from the LED.
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45. A method for producing an integrated imaging device, comprising:
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providing an optoelectronic shutter having an input face and an output face; and
optically coupling the shutter to a front surface of an optical detector array, said shutter comprising;
a planar photodiode, having a planar surface, and optically communicating with the input face;
a planar LED layer, having a planar surface substantially parallel to the planar photodiode, and optically communicating with the output face; and
a planar gate layer, intermediate the planar photodiode and the planar LED which modulates or switches a flow of carriers from the photodiode to the LED.
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46. A method for producing an integrated imaging device, comprising:
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providing an optoelectronic shutter having an input face and an output face; and
optically coupling the shutter with respect to a front surface of an optical detector array, said shutter comprising;
a photodiode which receives light and produces charge carriers;
a LED which receives the charge carriers and produces light responsive to the carriers; and
a gate which gates the flow of carriers from the photodiode to the LED to modulate or switch the light output of the LED.
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Specification