A PV device comprises a first mirror comprising a reflectance of higher than 50%; a second mirror interface; and an optical cavity positioned between the first mirror and the second mirror interface and comprising at least one IC stage. Each of the at least one IC stage comprises a conduction band; a valence band; a hole barrier comprising a first band gap; an absorption region coupled to the hole barrier, comprising a second band gap that is less than the first band gap, and configured to absorb photons; and an electron barrier coupled to the absorption region so that the absorption region is positioned between the hole barrier and the electron barrier. The electron barrier comprises a third band gap that is greater than the second band gap. The PV device is configured to operate at a forward bias voltage with a net photon absorption for generating an electric output.

Provided are an infrared detecting device and an infrared detecting system including the infrared detecting device. The infrared detecting device includes at least one infrared detector, and the at least one infrared detector includes a substrate, a buffer layer, and at least one light absorbing portion. The buffer layer includes a superlattice structure.

An infrared detector includes: a laminate of semiconductor in which a first electrode layer, a light receiving layer, and a second electrode layer are laminated in this order; a first insulating film configured to be in contact with the laminate and covers a surface of the laminate; and a second insulating film configured to be in contact with and covers a surface of the first insulating film opposite to an interface between the first insulating film and the laminate, wherein the first insulating film is configured to have a lower Gibbs free energy than an oxide of a material from which the laminate is formed, and in the second insulating film, diffusion of impurity is larger than in the first insulating film.

An electromagnetic shielding element and, transmission line assembly and electronic structure package using the same are provided. The electromagnetic shielding element is applied to the transmission line assembly and the electronic structure package to shield electromagnetic noise. The electromagnetic shielding element includes a quantum well structure, and the quantum well structure includes at least two barrier layers and at least one carrier confined layer located between the two barrier layers. Each barrier layer has a thickness between 0.1 nm and 500 nm, and the thickness of the carrier confined layer is between 0.1 nm and 500 nm. The electromagnetic shielding element absorbs electromagnetic wave noise to suppress electromagnetic interference.

A photodiode, such as a linear mode avalanche photodiode can be made free of excess noise via having a superlattice multiplication region that allows only one electrical current carrier type, such as an electron or a hole, to accumulate enough kinetic energy to impact ionize when biased, where the layers are lattice matched. A photodiode can be constructed with i) a lattice matched pair of a first semiconductor alloy and a second semiconductor alloy in a superlattice multiplication region, ii) an absorber region, and iii) a semiconductor substrate. A detector with multiple photodiodes can be made with these construction layers in order to have a cutoff wavelength varied anywhere from 1.7 to 4.9 μm as well as a noise resulting from a dark current at a level such that an electromagnetic radiation signal with the desired minimum wavelength cutoff can be accurately sensed by the photodiode.

Methods and apparatus for processing a photonic device are provided herein. For example, methods include etching, using a plasma etch process that uses a first gas, a first epitaxial layer of material of the photonic device comprising a base layer comprising at least one of silicon, germanium, sapphire, aluminum indium gallium arsenide (Al.sub.xIn.sub.yGa.sub.1-x-yAs), aluminum indium gallium phosphide (Al.sub.xIn.sub.yGa.sub.1-x-yP), aluminum indium gallium nitride (Al.sub.xIn.sub.yGa.sub.1-x-yN), aluminum indium gallium arsenide phosphide (Al.sub.xIn.sub.yGa.sub.1-x-yAs.sub.zP.sub.1-z), depositing, using a plasma deposition process that uses a second gas different from the first gas, a first dielectric layer over etched sidewalls of the first epitaxial layer of material, etching, using the first gas, a second epitaxial layer of material of the photonic device, and depositing, using the second gas, a second dielectric layer over etched sidewalls of the second epitaxial layer of material.

A method for making a semiconductor device may include forming a plurality of waveguides on a substrate, and forming a superlattice overlying the substrate and waveguides. The superlattice may include a plurality of stacked groups of layers, with each group of layers comprising a plurality of stacked base semiconductor monolayers defining a base semiconductor portion, and at least one non-semiconductor monolayer constrained within a crystal lattice of adjacent base semiconductor portions. The method may further include forming an active device layer on the superlattice comprising at least one active semiconductor device.

A photoelectrode, methods of making and using, including systems for water-splitting are provided. The photoelectrode can be a semiconducting material having a photocatalyst such as nickel or nickel-molybdenum coated on the material. The photoelectrode includes an elongated axially integrated wire having at least two different wire compositions.

A semiconductor structure includes a group IV substrate and a patterned group III-V device over the group IV substrate. A blanket dielectric layer is situated over the patterned group III-V device. A contact metal is situated within the blanket dielectric layer and an interconnect metal is situated over the blanket dielectric layer. The blanket dielectric layer can be substantially planar. The contact metal and the interconnect metal can be electrically connected to the patterned group III-V device. The patterned group III-V device can be optically and/or electrically connected to group IV devices in the group IV substrate.

An improved heterostructure for an optoelectronic device is provided. The heterostructure includes an active region, an electron blocking layer, and a p-type contact layer. The heterostructure can include a p-type interlayer located between the electron blocking layer and the p-type contact layer. In an embodiment, the electron blocking layer can have a region of graded transition. The p-type interlayer can also include a region of graded transition.