This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0181488, filed on Dec. 27, 2017 in the Republic of Korea, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
Exemplary embodiments relate to an X-ray detector.
According to X-ray diagnosis methods that are widely used in medical applications, an image is captured using an X-ray detection film, and a predetermined period of film printing time must be taken to obtain the result of image capturing.
Recently, however, due to rapid development of semiconductor technology, research and development have been undertaken into digital X-ray detectors (DXDs) using thin-film transistors (TFTs). Such digital X-ray detectors can provide a result of diagnosis in real time, as soon as an X-ray image is captured, since the TFTs are used as switching devices.
In general, X-ray detectors are direct-type digital X-ray detectors realizing an image by detecting electric current within a panel. A direct-type digital X-ray detector includes a transparent electrode fabricated on an amorphous selenium (Se) layer stacked on the top layer of a TFT array substrate. A pixel electrode of the TFT can detect an amount of current corresponding to a degree of charges that the Se layer receives. In addition, the direct-type digital X-ray detector uses a p-intrinsic-n (PIN) diode. In the direct-type digital X-ray detector, an increase in the leakage current of the PIN diode can degrade the quality of images.
In the PIN diode, an electrode configuration thereof is sensitive to leakage current characteristics. In particular, an electric field can vary significantly, depending on the slope shape of the side-walls of the PIN diode. When the slope shape of the side-walls of the PIN diode is changed, different amounts of leakage current can flow through the PIN diode. This can consequently provide non-uniform screen images, thereby degrading the quality of the output images.
Various aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide an X-ray detector that is able to maintain a leakage current of a p-intrinsic-n (PIN) diode at a predetermined level, thereby preventing image quality from degrading or improving the image quality.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an X-ray detector device can include a switching portion and a photodetecting portion connected to the switching portion. The photodetecting portion includes a bottom electrode, a semiconductor area disposed above the bottom electrode, and a top electrode disposed above the semiconductor area. The area of the top electrode is smaller than the area of a top surface of the semiconductor area.
According to exemplary embodiments, it is possible to maintain the leakage current of the PIN diode at a constant level, thereby causing the occurrence of the leakage current to be uniform or substantially uniform.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Hereinafter, reference will be made to embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout this document, reference should be made to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals and symbols will be used to designate the same or like components. In the following description of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of known functions and components incorporated herein will be omitted in the case that the subject matter of the present disclosure can be rendered unclear thereby.
It will also be understood that, while terms such as “first,” “second,” “A,” “B,” “(a),” and “(b)” can be used herein to describe various elements, such terms are merely used to distinguish one element from other elements. The substance, sequence, order, or number of such elements is not limited by these terms. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, not only can it be “directly connected or coupled to” the other element, but it can also be “indirectly connected or coupled to” the other element via an “intervening” element. In the same context, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being formed “on” or “under” another element, not only can it be directly located on or under another element, but it can also be indirectly located on or under another element via an intervening element.
Referring to
The photodetector circuit 110 can detect light produced by a scintillator upon receiving X-rays emitted by an X-ray generator and output an electrical detection signal from the detected light by photoelectric conversion. The photodetector circuit 110 can include a plurality of photodetector pixels arranged in the form of a matrix, adjacently to points at which a plurality of gate lines GL and a plurality of data lines DL intersect. The plurality of gate lines GL and the plurality of data lines DL can intersect, more particularly, at right angles. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Although the photodetector circuit 110 is illustrated as including, by way of example, sixteen (16) photodetector pixels P arranged in four columns and four rows, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number of photodetector pixels P and/or their arrangements can be varied.
Each of the photodetector pixels P can include a photodetecting portion 101 outputting an electrical detection signal, for example, a photo-detection voltage, by detecting light produced by the scintillator in response to X-rays and a switching portion 102 transferring the electrical detection signal, output by the photodetecting portion 101, in response to a gate signal output by the gate driver circuit 130.
The photodetecting portion 101 detects light produced by the scintillator and outputs an electrical detection signal from the detected light by photoelectric conversion. The photodetecting portion 101 can include a device converting incident light into an electrical signal by a photoelectric effect. In addition, the photodetecting portion 101 can include a p-intrinsic-n (PIN) diode. The PIN diode has an undoped intrinsic semiconductor region between a p-type semiconductor region and an n-type semiconductor region.
The switching portion 102 can transfer a detection signal output by the photodetecting portion 101. The switching portion 102 can include a transistor, with a gate electrode thereof being electrically connected to a gate line among the plurality of gate lines GL, and a source electrode thereof being electrically connected to the readout IC 140 via a data line among the plurality of data lines DL. The bias driver circuit 120 can be electrically connected to the photodetecting portion 101. Specifically, the bias driver circuit 120 can apply a bias voltage to the photodetecting portion 101 via a plurality of bias lines BL. The bias driver circuit 120 can selectively apply a reverse bias or a forward bias to the photodetecting portion 101.
The gate driver circuit 130 can sequentially apply gate signals having gate-on voltage levels to the plurality of gate lines GL. The switching portions 102 of the photodetector pixels P can be turned on in response to a gate pulse. When a switching portion 102 is turned on, a detection signal output by a photodetecting portion 101 can be input to the readout IC 140 through the switching portion 102 and a data line DL. The gate driver circuit 130 can be provided as an IC to be mounted on one surface of the photodetector circuit 110 or can be provided on a printed circuit board, such as the photodetector circuit 110, by thin-film processing.
The readout IC 140 can receive and output a detection signal output by the switching portion 102 turned on in response to a gate signal. The readout IC 140 can read and transfer the detection signal to a signal processing device, which in turn can digitize and output the detection signal. The digitized detection signal can be supplied to a separate display device as an image signal.
Referring to
The TFT 201, 203, 204a, and 204b can include a gate electrode 201 connected to a gate line GL among the plurality of gate lines GL, an active layer 203 located on the gate electrode 201, a source electrode 204a connecting one end of the active layer 203 to a data line electrode 210a connected to a data line DL among the plurality of data lines DL, and a drain electrode 23 connected to the other end of the active layer 203. A drain electrode 204b can be connected to the photodetecting portion 101. The photodetecting portion 101 can be connected to a bias electrode line 210b connected to a bias line BL among the plurality of bias lines BL, through which biases for controlling electrons or holes are applied. The bias lines BL can be made of a metal.
The gate electrode 201 can be provided by depositing a gate metal on a substrate 200 and patterning the deposited gate metal. The gate electrode 201 can be made of one selected from among, but not limited to, aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), and alloys thereof. A gate insulating film 202 can be disposed on the substrate 200 including the gate electrode 201. In addition, an active layer 203 can be disposed above the gate insulating film 202. The active layer 203 can include a first amorphous silicon layer undoped with impurities and a second amorphous silicon layer doped with an n-type impurity. In addition, the source electrode 204a and the drain electrode 204b can be provided by depositing and patterning a source/drain metal above the active layer 203. The source/drain metal can be one selected from among, but not limited to, Al, Mo, and alloys thereof. A first insulating film 205 can be provided above the gate insulating film 202 including the source electrode 204a and the drain electrode 204b. In addition, a bottom electrode 206 of the photodetecting portion 101 can be disposed above the first insulating film 205. The bottom electrode 206 can be referred to as a cathode.
The first insulating film 205 can have a first contact hole ch1 provided in a position overlapping the drain electrode 204b, the first contact hole ch1 connecting the bottom electrode 206 to the drain electrode 204b. The PIN diode 206, 207, and 208a can be disposed on the bottom electrode 206. The PIN diode 206, 207, and 208a can include a semiconductor area 207 in which an n-type semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer are sequentially disposed. A top electrode 208a can be disposed above the semiconductor area 207 of the PIN diode 206, 207, and 208a. The top electrode 208a can be a transparent electrode. The top electrode 208a can be an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. A second insulating film 209 can be disposed above the top electrode 208a. The top electrode 208a can be referred to as an anode.
A second contact hole ch2 can be provided in a position overlapping the source electrode 204a so as to extend through the first insulating film 205 and the second insulating film 209, such that the data line electrode 210a is connected to the source electrode 204a via the second contact hole ch2. In addition, a third contact hole ch3 can be provided in a position overlapping the top electrode 208a, and the data line electrode 210a can be connected to the top electrode 208a via the third contact hole ch3. In addition, a light-blocking film 210c can be provided above the second insulating film 209, in a position overlapping the gate electrode 201. The light-blocking film 210c can prevent a leakage current from flowing through the TFT 201, 203, 204a, and 204b. In addition, a third insulating film 211 can be provided above the second insulating film 209. The data line electrode 210a, the bias line electrode 210b, and the light-blocking film 210c can be fabricated in the same process. The data line electrode 210a, the bias line electrode 210b, and the light-blocking film 210c can be made of the same material.
The PIN diodes 206, 207, and 208a of the photodetecting portion 101 can include the bottom electrode 206 provided above the first insulating film 205, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
However, in the PIN diodes 206, 207, and 208a, the side-walls of the semiconductor area 207, corresponding to the photodetector pixels P, can have a variety of slopes, as illustrated in
Referring to
In addition, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In addition, the top electrode 208a can be wet etched. When the top electrode 208a is wet etched, the size of the top electrode 208a can be reduced by etching. The term “size” used herein can mean the area of the top electrode 208a. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and both the area and height can be reduced.
When the top electrode 208a is wet etched, the size of the top electrode 208a can be reduced to be smaller than the size of the top surface of the PIN diode 206, 207, and 208a, as illustrated in
In addition,
Referring to
Consequently, the longer the periphery La of the top electrode 208a from the periphery Lb of the semiconductor area 207 is, the shorter the unsaturated area is. The smaller the area of the top electrode 208a is than the area of the top portion of the semiconductor area 207, the more uniform the amount of current flowing from the bottom electrode 206 to the top electrode 208a can be maintained.
Referring to
In addition, the top electrode 208a can be configured to be shorter than the length of the top portion of the semiconductor area 207, regardless of the slope of the side-walls of the semiconductor area 207.
Thus, the semiconductor area 207, included in each of the photodetecting portions of a plurality of photodetector circuits, can be configured such that the top portion thereof is covered with the top electrode 208a and the side-walls thereof extend in the direction of the bottom electrode 206 at an angle selected from among a right angle, an acute angle, and an obtuse angle with respect to the vertical line.
In addition, as illustrated in
Referring to
In Table 1 above, the sign “+” indicates that the area of the top electrode 208a is greater than the size of the semiconductor area 207 of the PIN diode 206, 207, and 208a, such that the top electrode 280a is exposed from the periphery Lb of the semiconductor area 207 of the PIN diode 206, 207, and 208a, the sign “0” indicates that the area of the top electrode 208a is the same as the size of the PIN diode 206, 207, and 208a, and the sign “−” indicates that the area of the top electrode 280a is smaller than the size of the semiconductor area 207, such that the periphery La of the top electrode 208a is located more adjacent to the center of the PIN diode 206, 207, and 208a. In addition, the measurement was performed when the height h of the semiconductor area 207 was 10,000 Å. In this case, an ordinary output value produced by detecting a current was 2,000 LSB.
It is appreciated that, when the height h of the semiconductor area was 10,000 Å and the first length was in the range from 7,143 Å to 11,800 Å, the output value was from 2,150 to 1,900.
Accordingly, a value obtained by dividing the first length L1 between the periphery La of the top electrode 208a and the periphery Lb of the semiconductor area 207 with the height h of the semiconductor area 207 can be in the range from 1/1.2 to 1/0.8.
The foregoing descriptions and the accompanying drawings have been presented in order to explain the certain principles of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure relates could make various modifications and variations by combining, dividing, substituting for, or changing the elements without departing from the principle of the present disclosure. The foregoing embodiments disclosed herein shall be interpreted as illustrative, while not being limitative, of the principle and scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure shall be defined by the appended Claims and all of their equivalents fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
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