An optical apparatus including a semiconductor substrate; a first light absorption region supported by the semiconductor substrate, the first light absorption region including germanium and configured to absorb photons and to generate photo-carriers from the absorbed photons; a first layer supported by at least a portion of the semiconductor substrate and the first light absorption region, the first layer being different from the first light absorption region; one or more first switches controlled by a first control signal, the one or more first switches configured to collect at least a portion of the photo-carriers based on the first control signal; and one or more second switches controlled by a second control signal, the one or more second switches configured to collect at least a portion of the photo-carriers based on the second control signal, wherein the second control signal is different from the first control signal.

A photodetector includes a two-terminal bipolar phototransistor arranged on a substrate. The phototransistor includes a base, a collector, and an emitter. An electrical connection is made between the base and the local substrate near a region of the phototransistor. The electrical connection can be by way of metal interconnects.

Provided is a display device or a display system capable of displaying images along a curved surface, a display device or a display system capable of displaying images seamlessly in the form of a ring, or a display device or a display system that is suitable for increasing in size. The display device includes a display panel. The display panel includes a first part and a second part and is flexible. The first part can display images. The second part can transmit visible light. The display panel is curved so that the second part and the first part overlap with each other.

An avalanche diode arrangement (10) comprises an avalanche diode (11) that is coupled to a first voltage terminal (16) and to a first node (13), an event detector (14) for detecting a trigger event of the avalanche diode (11) and being coupled to the first node (13), a quenching circuit (15) that is coupled to the first node (13), and a detection circuit (20) coupled to the first node (13). The detection circuit (20) is configured to provide a detection signal (SVC2) that depends on a value of a node voltage (SVA) at the first node (13).

An electrical device includes a counterdoped heterojunction selected from a group consisting of a pn junction or a p-i-n junction. The counterdoped junction includes a first semiconductor doped with one or more n-type primary dopant species and a second semiconductor doped with one or more p-type primary dopant species. The device also includes a first counterdoped component selected from a group consisting of the first semiconductor and the second semiconductor. The first counterdoped component is counterdoped with one or more counterdopant species that have a polarity opposite to the polarity of the primary dopant included in the first counterdoped component. Additionally, a level of the n-type primary dopant, p-type primary dopant, and the one or more counterdopant is selected to the counterdoped heterojunction provides amplification by a phonon assisted mechanism and the amplification has an onset voltage less than 1 V.

Provided is a display device or a display system capable of displaying images along a curved surface, a display device or a display system capable of displaying images seamlessly in the form of a ring, or a display device or a display system that is suitable for increasing in size. The display device includes a display panel. The display panel includes a first part and a second part and is flexible. The first part can display images. The second part can transmit visible light. The display panel is curved so that the second part and the first part overlap with each other.

A pixel circuit including a photodiode, a first storage capacitor and a second storage capacitor is provided. The first storage capacitor discharges to a first output voltage in a first exposure time and to a third output voltage in a third exposure time. The second storage capacitor discharges to a second output voltage in a second exposure time and to a fourth output voltage in a fourth exposure time. The first and second exposure times are included in a first frame period. The third and fourth exposure times are included in a second frame period. The second frame period is a next frame period of the first frame period. In the first frame period, the first exposure time is subsequent to the second exposure time. In the second frame period, the third exposure time is prior to the fourth exposure time.

A circuit, including: a photodetector including a first readout terminal and a second readout terminal different than the first readout terminal; a first readout circuit coupled with the first readout terminal and configured to output a first readout voltage; a second readout circuit coupled with the second readout terminal and configured to output a second readout voltage; and a common-mode analog-to-digital converter (ADC) including: a first input terminal coupled with a first voltage source; a second input terminal coupled with a common-mode generator, the common-mode generator configured to receive the first readout voltage and the second readout voltage, and to generate a common-mode voltage between the first and second readout voltages; and a first output terminal configured to output a first output signal corresponding to a magnitude of a current generated by the photodetector.

A computational pixel imaging device can include multiple digitizing counters per pixel that can be used to execute simultaneous signal-processing threads on acquired image data. The imaging device can also include infinite dynamic range sensing and perform signal down-sampling.

A method and a sensing device are provided. The sensing device may include a readout circuit, a bulk, a holding element and a heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein heterojunction bipolar transistor is configured to generate detection signals responsive to a temperature of at least a portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein the holding element is configured to support the heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is thermally isolated from the bulk; wherein the readout circuit is electrically coupled to the heterojunction bipolar transistor; and wherein the readout circuit is configured to receive the detection signals and to process the detection signals to provide information about electromagnetic radiation that affected the temperature of the at least portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor.