The present invention provides materials, structures, and methods for III-nitride-based devices, including epitaxial and non-epitaxial structures useful for III-nitride devices including light emitting devices, laser diodes, transistors, detectors, sensors, and the like. In some embodiments, the present invention provides metallo-semiconductor and/or metallo-dielectric devices, structures, materials and methods of forming metallo-semiconductor and/or metallo-dielectric material structures for use in semiconductor devices, and more particularly for use in III-nitride based semiconductor devices. In some embodiments, the present invention includes materials, structures, and methods for improving the crystal quality of epitaxial materials grown on non-native substrates. In some embodiments, the present invention provides materials, structures, devices, and methods for acoustic wave devices and technology, including epitaxial and non-epitaxial piezoelectric materials and structures useful for acoustic wave devices. In some embodiments, the present invention provides metal-base transistor devices, structures, materials and methods of forming metal-base transistor material structures for use in semiconductor devices.

A method of etching into a one or more epitaxial layers of respective semiconductor material(s) in a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) semiconductor structure, wherein the or each semiconductor material is a III-V semiconductor material, a III-N semiconductor material, or a II-VI semiconductor material is disclosed. The method comprises placing a substrate having the semiconductor structure thereon onto a support table in a plasma processing chamber, the semiconductor structure carrying a patterned mask on the surface of the semiconductor structure distal from the support table. The method also includes process steps of establishing a flow of an etch gas mixture through the plasma processing chamber and generating a plasma within the plasma processing chamber and simultaneously applying a radio frequency (RF) bias voltage to the support table; whereby the portion(s) of the semiconductor structure not covered by the patterned mask are exposed to the etch gas mixture plasma and are thereby etched to form at least one feature in the semiconductor structure; wherein more than 90% of the etch gas mixture consists of a mixture of silicon tetrachloride (SiCl.sub.4) and nitrogen (N.sub.2).

In an embodiment a method includes providing a growth substrate comprising a growth surface formed by a planar region having a plurality of three-dimensional surface structures on the planar region, directly applying a nucleation layer of oxygen-containing AlN to the growth surface and growing a nitride-based semiconductor layer sequence on the nucleation layer, wherein growing the semiconductor layer sequence includes selectively growing the semiconductor layer sequence upwards from the planar region such that a growth of the semiconductor layer sequence on surfaces of the three-dimensional surface structures is reduced or non-existent compared to a growth on the planar region, wherein the nucleation layer is applied onto both the planar region and the three-dimensional surface structures of the growth surface, and wherein a selectivity of the growth of the semiconductor layer sequence on the planar region is targetedly adjusted by an oxygen content of the nucleation layer.

Oxygen controlled PVD AlN buffers for GaN-based optoelectronic and electronic devices is described. Methods of forming a PVD AlN buffer for GaN-based optoelectronic and electronic devices in an oxygen controlled manner are also described. In an example, a method of forming an aluminum nitride (AlN) buffer layer for GaN-based optoelectronic or electronic devices involves reactive sputtering an AlN layer above a substrate, the reactive sputtering involving reacting an aluminum-containing target housed in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber with a nitrogen-containing gas or a plasma based on a nitrogen-containing gas. The method further involves incorporating oxygen into the AlN layer.

Optoelectronic devices having GaInNAsSb, GaInNAsBi or GaInNAsSbBi active layers are disclosed. The optoelectronic devices have an active or absorbing layer, with a bandgap within a range from 0.7 eV and 1.2 eV. The active layer is coupled to a multiplication layer. The multiplication layer is designed to provide a large optical gain with a high signal-to-noise ratio at low light levels at wavelengths up to 1.8 μm.

An electrical device that includes a material stack present on a supporting substrate. An LED is present in a first end of the material stack having a first set of bandgap materials. A photovoltaic device is present in a second end of the material stack having a second set of bandgap materials. The first end of the material stack being a light receiving end, wherein a widest bandgap material for the first set of bandgap material is greater than a highest bandgap material for the second set of bandgap materials. A zinc oxide interface layer is present between the LED and the photovoltaic device. The zinc oxide layers or can also form a LED.

A light source assembly includes a plurality of cells and a driving circuit. Each of the cells includes a transistor and a light source. The transistor includes a drain region that serves as a cathode of the light source. The driving circuit is configured to drive the cell. An optical sensor cell and a method for manufacturing thereof are also disclosed.

An ultraviolet ray detecting device is provided. The ultraviolet ray detecting device comprises: a substrate; a buffer layer disposed on the substrate; a light absorption layer disposed on the buffer layer; a capping layer disposed on the light absorption layer; and a Schottky layer disposed on a partial region of the capping layer, wherein the capping layer has an energy bandgap larger than that of the light absorption layer.

The present invention adopts an aluminum nitride substrate with great heat dissipation, great thermal conductivity, high electrical insulation, long service life, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, and stable physical characteristics. A high-quality zinc oxide film with a wide energy gap is fabricated on the aluminum nitride substrate by magnetron radio frequency (RF) sputtering. Compared with general vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition and hydrothermal, the magnetron RF sputtering grows the high-quality zinc oxide film with few defects. The zinc oxide film with few defects concentration is an important key technology for short-wavelength optoelectronic devices, which decrease leakage currents of the optoelectronic devices, reduces flicker noise, and further improves its UV-visible rejection ratio.

A solar processing unit (SPU) for the conversion of solar energy to electric power includes a heterostructure of sheets of two (2)-dimensional materials. The heterostructure is utilized to produce a crystalline structure, wherein elemental Boron (B) and elemental Nitrogen (N), contained in sheets of hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN), are located as bookends to one or more Carbons (C)s, between at least one sheet of Graphene. Each absorbed photon produces Multi-Excitation Generation, wherein more than one electron is generated. The SPU produces a spin motion of the Boron atoms in one direction and the Nitrogen atoms in the opposite direction within hBN by placing an external fixed magnetic field perpendicular to the sheet of hBN and a second orthogonal magnetic field paired to the strength of the fixed magnetic field and tuned to the resonant magnetic frequency of Nitrogen-15 followed by Boron-11, thereby achieving the spin required for enhanced photonic absorption.