A single photon counting sensor array includes one or more emitters configured to emit a plurality of pulses of energy, and a detector array comprising a plurality of pixels. Each pixel includes one or more detectors, a plurality of which are configured to receive reflected pulses of energy that were emitted by the one or more emitters. A mask material is positioned to cover some but not all of the detectors of the plurality of pixels to yield blocked pixels and unblocked pixels so that each blocked pixel is prevented from detecting the reflected pulses of energy and therefore only detects intrinsic noise.

A retinal prosthesis system can comprise: a flexible substrate; a nanowire light detector which is placed on the substrate, and comprises one or more nanowires of which the resistance changes according to the applied light; one or more micro-electrodes which are placed on the substrate, are electrically connected to the nanowire light detector, and come in contact with retinal cells; and an electric power supply source for applying electric power to the nanowire light detector and the micro-electrodes. The retinal prosthesis system can be implemented into a very thin and flexible substrate type high resolution retinal system by manufacturing a nanowire light detector on a substrate in which micro-electrodes are implemented.

A light absorption apparatus includes a substrate, a light absorption layer above the substrate on a first selected area, a silicon layer above the light absorption layer, a spacer surrounding at least part of the sidewall of the light absorption layer, an isolation layer surrounding at least part of the spacer, wherein the light absorption apparatus can achieve high bandwidth and low dark current.

A germanium metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector is fabricated by growing crystalline germanium from an amorphous silicon seed, supported by an amorphous substrate, at a temperature of about 450° C. In this fabrication, crystalline Ge is grown via selective deposition in geometrically confined channels, where amorphous silicon is disposed as the growth seed. Ge growth extends from the growth seed along the channels to a lithographically defined trench. The Ge emerging out of the channels includes crystalline grains that coalesce to fill the trench, forming a Ge strip that can be used as the active area of a photodetector. One or more Schottky contacts can be formed by a thin tunneling layer (e.g., Al.sub.2O.sub.3) deposited on the Ge strip and metal contracts formed on the tunneling layer.

Disclosed is an active photonic device having a Darlington configuration with a substrate and a collector layer that is over the substrate. The collector layer includes an inner collector region. An outer collector region substantially surrounds the inner collector region and is spaced apart from the inner collector region. A base layer is over the collector layer. A first outer base region and a second outer base region substantially surround the inner base region and are spaced apart from the inner base region and each other. An emitter layer is over the base layer. The emitter layer includes an inner emitter region that is ring-shaped and resides over and extends substantially around an outer periphery of the inner base region. A first outer emitter region and a second outer emitter region substantially surround the inner emitter region and are spaced apart from the inner emitter region and each other.

An electronic device disclosed herein includes a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) configured to detect an incoming photon and to generate a first pulse signal in response thereto. Pulse shaping circuitry is configured to generate a second pulse signal from the first pulse signal by high pass filtering the first pulse signal. The pulse shaping circuitry includes a transistor drain-source coupled between a first node and a reference node, and a capacitor coupling the first node to an anode of the SPAD.

A semiconductor device includes first and second photo-electric conversion elements, each having a light-receiving surface, disposed adjacent to each other, each outputting a light current that is a current corresponding to an intensity of received light, a first filter disposed on the light-receiving surface of the first photo-electric conversion element, a second filter disposed on the light-receiving surface of the second photo-electric conversion element, and a third filter disposed on the light-receiving surface of the second photo-electric conversion element and being in contact with the second filter, one end of the second filter and one end of the third filter overlapping one end of the first filter at a vicinity of a boundary between the first photo-electric conversion element and the second photo-electric conversion element.

An array substrate, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device are provided. The array substrate includes a display area and a non-display area. The non-display area includes at least one light sensor each including a light blocking layer on a substrate and for blocking light emitted from a backlight source; an insulating layer on the light blocking layer; a amorphous silicon layer on the insulating layer at a location corresponding to the light blocking layer and for sensing external light; an input electrode and an output electrode on the amorphous silicon layer and not contacting each other. The input electrode and the output electrode both contact the amorphous silicon layer, a part of the amorphous silicon layer between the input electrode and the output electrode forms a conductive channel. The output electrode is connected with a photoelectric detection circuit for inputting drain current generated by the conductive channel into the photoelectric detection circuit.

In one embodiment, a photo detection element includes a first region of a first conductivity type, a second region of a second conductivity type, a third region of the first conductivity type provided between the first region and the second region, a fourth region of the second conductivity type provided so as to surround a periphery of the second region, in a direction crossing with a direction from the first region toward the second region, and a fifth region of the first conductivity type provided between the first region and the fourth region.

A circuit may include an array of single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) cells, each SPAD cell configured to be selectively enabled by an activation signal. The circuit may include a control circuit configured to selectively enable a subset of the array of SPAD cells based on a measured count rate of the array of SPAD cells.