METHOD FOR RECORDING LIGHT EMISSION BY MEANS OF AVALANCHE MIS PHOTODETECTOR Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: semiconductor photoelectronics. SUBSTANCE: proposed method used for recording emission of short low-intensity light signals involves use of thin tunnel insulator in metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure, forming of MOS structure by photocurrent pulses with MIS structure placed in liquid nitrogen medium, amplitude of depleting voltage pulses being increased to value sufficient to stabilize photocurrent pulses at chosen level; then dc depleting voltage is applied to MIS structure; in the process steady state dark current is limited by connecting current regulator in series with MIS structure; light signal is recorded while measuring voltage pulse across MIS structure. This method makes it possible to isolate forming and operating stages of photodetector and to limit its steady state dark current thereby enabling increase in its operating life to 10⁹ and more pulses while maintaining multiplication factor of light current at about 5•10⁵ and to stabilize threshold voltage by about 0.5% in 10⁸ cycles. EFFECT: enhanced service life; reduced steady state dark current of photodetector. 1 cl