At least one doped silicon region is formed in a silicon layer of a semiconductor substrate, and a silicon oxide layer is formed over the silicon layer. A germanium-containing material portion is formed in the semiconductor substrate to provide a p-n junction or a p-i-n junction including the germanium-containing material portion and one of the at least one doped silicon region. A capping material layer that is free of germanium is formed over the germanium-containing material portion. A first dielectric material layer is formed over the silicon oxide layer and the capping material layer. The first dielectric material layer includes a mesa region that is raised from the germanium-containing material portion by a thickness of the capping material layer. The capping material layer may be a silicon capping layer, or may be subsequently removed to form a cavity. Dark current is reduced for the germanium-containing material portion.

A method of forming an area of electric contact with a semiconductor region mainly made of germanium, comprising the forming of a first area made of a first intermetallic material where more than 70% of the non-metal atoms are silicon atoms. There is also described a device including such a contacting area.

PV layer sequences and corresponding production methods which can reliably provide a PV function with a long service life despite very low production costs. This is achieved by a reactive conditioning process of inorganic particles as part of a room-temperature printing method; the reactive surface conditioning process adjusts the PV activity in a precise manner, provides a kinetically controlled reaction product, and can ensure the desired PV activity even when using technically pure starting materials with 97% purity. In concrete embodiments, particles are printed in composite so as to form sub-sections on a support. Each sub-section has a reductively treated section and an oxidatively treated section, and the sections have PV activity with opposite signs. The sections can be cascaded in rows via upper-face contacts, and a precise light-dependent potential sum can be tapped via a PV measuring group.

An integrated circuit includes a photodetector. The photodetector includes one or more dielectric structures positioned in a trench in a semiconductor substrate. The photodetector includes a photosensitive material positioned in the trench and covering the one or more dielectric structures. A dielectric layer covers the photosensitive material. The photosensitive material has an index of refraction that is greater than the indices of refraction of the dielectric structures and the dielectric layer.

Structures including multiple photodiodes and methods of fabricating a structure including multiple photodiodes. A substrate has a first trench extending to a first depth into the substrate and a second trench extending to a second depth into the substrate that is greater than the first depth. A first photodiode includes a first light-absorbing layer containing a first material positioned in the first trench. A second photodiode includes a second light-absorbing layer containing a second material positioned in the second trench. The first material and the second material each include germanium.

Techniques for enhancing the absorption of photons in semiconductors with the use of microstructures are described. The microstructures, such as pillars and/or holes, effectively increase the effective absorption length resulting in a greater absorption of the photons. Using microstructures for absorption enhancement for silicon photodiodes and silicon avalanche photodiodes can result in bandwidths in excess of 10 Gb/s at photons with wavelengths of 850 nm, and with quantum efficiencies of approximately 90% or more.

A photoelectric detection substrate, a preparation method thereof and a photoelectric detection apparatus are provided. The photoelectric detection substrate includes a glass substrate, and an electronic apparatus and an optical apparatus disposed on the glass substrate, wherein the optical apparatus is a Schottky photo-diode. The Schottky photo-diode includes a first electrode, an ohmic contact layer disposed on one side of the first electrode away from the glass substrate, an intrinsic layer disposed on one side of the ohmic contact layer away from the glass substrate and a second electrode disposed on one side of the intrinsic layer away from the glass substrate.

The disclosure provides a silicon carbide detector and a preparation method therefor. The silicon carbide detector comprises: a wafer, the wafer sequentially comprises, from bottom to top, a substrate, a silicon carbide P+ layer, an N-type silicon carbide insertion layer, an N+ type silicon carbide multiplication layer, an N-type silicon carbide absorption layer and a silicon carbide N+ layer; the doping concentration of the N-type silicon carbide insertion layer gradually increases from bottom to top, and the doping concentration of the N-type silicon carbide absorption layer gradually decreases from bottom to top; a mesa is etched on the wafer, and the mesa is etched to an upper surface of the silicon carbide P+ layer; an N-type electrode is arranged on an upper surface of the mesa, and a P-type electrode is arranged on an upper surface of a non-mesa region.

Structures for a photodetector and methods of fabricating a structure for a photodetector. A photodetector includes a photodetector pad coupled to a waveguide core and a light-absorbing layer coupled to the photodetector pad. The light-absorbing layer has a body, a first taper that projects laterally from the body toward the waveguide core, and a second taper that projects laterally from the body toward the waveguide core. The photodetector pad includes a tapered section that is laterally positioned between the first taper and the second taper of the light-absorbing layer.

One illustrative photodiode disclosed herein includes an N-doped anode region, a P-doped cathode region and at least one P-doped charge region positioned laterally between the N-doped anode region and the P-doped cathode region. In this example, the photodiode also includes a plurality of quantum dots embedded within the at least one P-doped charge region and an N-doped impact ionization region positioned laterally between the N-doped anode region and the at least one P-doped charge region.