Microstructures of micro and/or nano holes on one or more surfaces enhance photodetector optical sensitivity. Arrangements such as a CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) as an imaging LIDAR using a high speed photodetector array wafer of Si, Ge, a Ge alloy on SI and/or Si on Ge on Si, and a wafer of CMOS Logic Processor (CLP) ib Si fi signal amplification, processing and/or transmission can be stacked for electrical interaction. The wafers can be fabricated separately and then stacked or can be regions of the same monolithic chip. The image can be a time-of-flight image. Bayer arrays can be enhanced with microstructure holes. Pixels can be photodiodes, avalanche photodiodes, single photon avalanche photodiodes and phototransistors on the same array and can be Ge or Si pixels. The array can be of high speed photodetectors with data rates of 56 Gigabits per second, Gbps, or more per photodetector.

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.

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. Contact holes in the blanket dielectric layer are situated over the patterned group III-V device. A liner stack having at least one metal liner is situated in each contact hole. Filler metals are situated over each liner stack and fill the contact holes. The patterned group device can be optically and/or electrically connected to group IV devices in the group IV substrate.

A method of manufacturing a photo sensor includes forming a first conductive layer on a substrate, the first conductive layer including a metal layer and a transparent conductive oxide layer formed on the metal layer, forming a photoconductive layer on the first conductive layer, forming a second conductive layer on the photoconductive layer, forming a first photoresist pattern on the second conductive layer, etching the second conductive layer using the first photoresist pattern as an etch mask to form a second electrode, deforming the first photoresist pattern to form a second photoresist pattern, and etching the photoconductive layer and the first conductive layer using the second photoresist pattern to form a photoconductive pattern and a first electrode, respectively.

A method of manufacturing a photo sensor includes forming a first conductive layer on a substrate, the first conductive layer including a metal layer and a transparent conductive oxide layer formed on the metal layer, forming a photoconductive layer on the first conductive layer, forming a second conductive layer on the photoconductive layer, forming a first photoresist pattern on the second conductive layer, etching the second conductive layer using the first photoresist pattern as an etch mask to form a second electrode, deforming the first photoresist pattern to form a second photoresist pattern, and etching the photoconductive layer and the first conductive layer using the second photoresist pattern to form a photoconductive pattern and a first electrode, respectively.

A photodetector including a plurality of photoelectric conversion sections that is provided to a semiconductor substrate. The photoelectric conversion sections each include a first region of a first electrical conduction type that is provided on a first surface side of the semiconductor substrate, a second region of a second electrical conduction type that is provided on a second surface side of the semiconductor substrate opposite to the first surface, a third region of a third electrical conduction type that is provided in a region between the first region and the second region of the semiconductor substrate, a first electrode that is electrically coupled to the first region from the first surface side, and a second electrode that is electrically coupled to the second region from the second surface side. The third region absorbs incident light.

Provided is an AlGaN unipolar carrier solar-blind ultraviolet detector that is based on the AlGaN polarization effect and that uses the double heterojunction of the p-AlzGa1-zN/i-AlyGa1-yN/n-AlxGa1-xN (0.45=<x,z<y) as the main structure of the detector. It makes full use of the polarization built-in electric field pointing from n-type AlGaN to p-type AlGaN to enhance the electric field strength of the i-type absorption region and enhance the efficiency of carrier absorption and separation. At the same time, the valence band step of the p-AlzGa1-zN/i-AlyGa1-yN heterojunction is used to effectively restrict holes from entering the absorption region to recombine with electrons, thereby increasing the carrier lifetime. Furthermore, during device manufacturing the structure is such designed that makes it difficult for photo-generated holes to participate in the photoconductivity so as to realize unipolar conduction of electrons, thereby obtaining a high response speed and high gain current.

A light detection device includes a sensor array and a readout circuit. The sensor array includes a compound semiconductor substrate having a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, a plurality of photodetectors arranged two-dimensionally on the first main surface, and an insulating film disposed on the second main surface. The readout circuit includes a silicon substrate having a third main surface connected to the first main surface of the compound semiconductor substrate. The insulating film contains an insulating material having a lower thermal expansion coefficient than a compound semiconductor contained in the compound semiconductor substrate. The insulating film includes at least one first portion having a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness larger than the first thickness.

A photodetection element that includes: a substrate with a high infrared transmittance in a desired wavelength region; an electron barrier layer of a type-I superlattice structure, the electron barrier layer being formed above the substrate and lattice-matched to the substrate; and a light-receiving layer of a type-II superlattice structure, formed in contact with the electron barrier layer.

A photo-sensitive device includes a uniform layer, a gradated buffer layer over the uniform layer, a silicon layer over the gradated buffer layer, a photo-sensitive light-sensing region in the uniform layer and the silicon layer, a device layer on the silicon layer, and a carrier wafer bonded to the device layer.