A photon detection device having a high light detection efficiency. The photon detection device includes a first light reception part which receives a gate signal and outputs a first signal; a second light reception part which receives a gate signal and outputs a second signal; and a determination part which determines whether or not a photon is received, on the basis of the first signal from the first light reception part and the second signal from the second light reception part. The photon is incident on the first light reception part among the first light reception part and the second light reception part, and the breakdown voltage of the second light reception part is higher than the breakdown voltage of the first light reception part.

The present technology relates to an optical module capable of improving performance of the optical module including a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

An optical module includes: a substrate; a light emitting element that is disposed on the substrate; a light receiving element that is disposed on the substrate at a predetermined interval from the light emitting element; a first casing that is disposed on the substrate and surrounds a periphery of the light emitting element; a second casing that is disposed on the substrate and surrounds a periphery of the light receiving element; a light emitting lens that is housed in the first casing and is disposed on an optical axis of the light emitting element; and a light receiving lens that is housed in the second casing and is disposed on an optical axis of the light receiving element, in which a first diameter of one lens out of the light emitting lens and the light receiving lens in a first direction toward an optical axis of the other lens with reference to an optical axis of the one lens is shorter than a second diameter of the one lens in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction. The present technology can be applied to a distance measuring sensor, for example.

The present technology relates to a light reception device and a distance measurement module whose characteristic can be improved. The light reception device includes an on-chip lens, a wiring layer, and a semiconductor layer arranged between the on-chip lens and the wiring layer. The semiconductor layer includes a first tap having a first voltage application portion and a first charge detection portion arranged around the first voltage application portion, and a second tap having a second voltage application portion and a second charge detection portion arranged around the second voltage application portion. Furthermore, the light reception device is configured such that a phase difference is detected using signals detected by the first tap and the second tap. The present technology can be applied, for example, to a light reception device that generates distance information, for example, by a ToF method, and so forth.

A detection component is provided for detecting electromagnetic radiation, the detection component comprising a mask arranged to block the electromagnetic radiation for at least one detector. The opaque mask comprises a successive stack of a first metal layer, a second metal layer, a third transparent layer having a low optical index, and an assembly of metal components. The second metal layer, the transparent layer, and the assembly of components form MIM structures in the wavelength range. The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing such a detection component.

A method for radiation dosage measurement includes: (1) exposing a plurality of single-poly floating gate sensor cells to radiation; (2) measuring threshold voltage differences between logical pairs of the exposed sensor cells using differential read operations, wherein the sensor cells of each logical pair are separated by a distance large enough that radiation impinging on one of the sensor cells does not influence the other sensor cell; (3) determining whether each logical pair of exposed sensor cells is influenced by exposure to the radiation in response to the corresponding measured threshold voltage difference; and (4) determining a dosage of the radiation in response to the number of logical pairs of the exposed sensor cells determined to be influenced by exposure to the radiation. A non-radiation influenced threshold voltage shift may be measured and used in determining whether each logical pair of exposed sensor cells is influenced by radiation exposure.

The present technology relates to a light receiving element and a ranging module that can improve characteristics. A light receiving element includes: light receiving regions each including a first voltage application unit to which a first voltage is applied, a first charge detection unit provided around the first voltage application unit, a second voltage application unit to which a second voltage different from the first voltage is applied, and a second charge detection unit provided around the second voltage application unit; and an isolation portion that is arranged at a boundary between the light receiving regions adjacent to each other, and isolates the light receiving regions from each other. The present technology can be applied to a light receiving element.

The invention relates to a semiconductor structure intended to receive an electromagnetic wave. The semiconductor structure comprises at least one first semiconductor resonant optical cavity conformed to absorb at least partially the electromagnetic wave and to provide an electrical signal proportional to the part of the electromagnetic wave absorbed. The semiconductor structure further includes a second dielectric resonant optical cavity of which a resonance wavelength is comprised in the predetermined range of wavelengths and is preferentially equal to the wavelength λ.sub.0, the second resonant optical cavity being laid out to intercept at least part of the electromagnetic wave and being optically coupled to the first resonant optical cavity. The second resonant optical cavity is transparent to the predetermined range of wavelengths. The invention further relates to a semiconductor component comprising such a semiconductor structure and a method of manufacturing such a semiconductor structure.

Disclosed is a photovoltaic cell including a first electrode and a second electrode having transparency and disposed facing each other, and a photovoltaic cell layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, and configured to produce electric energy by absorbing a part of incident light, wherein the photovoltaic cell layer includes a plurality of unit cells disposed in a specific distance from each other and formed with a plurality of slits for polarizing the incident light, and a transparent insulator disposed in the plurality of slits.

Aspects of the embodiments are directed to non-contact systems, methods and devices for optical detection of objects in space at precise angles. This method involves the design and fabrication of photodiode arrays for measuring angular response using self-aligned Schottky platinum silicide (PtSi) PIN photodiodes (PN-diodes with an intrinsic layer sandwiched in between) that provide linear angular measurements from incident light in multiple dimensions. A self-aligned device is defined as one in which is not sensitive to photomask layer registrations. This design eliminates device offset between “left” and right” channels for normal incident light as compared to more conventional PIN diode constructions.

A method for manufacturing a sensing device is provided. The method includes: providing a substrate; forming a sensing unit on the substrate; forming a first light-shielding layer on the sensing unit; forming a first anti-reflection layer on the sensing unit; and patterning the first light-shielding layer and the first anti-reflection layer using a single lithography process to form a first pinhole corresponding to the sensing unit.