An image sensor and a pixel array circuit thereof are provided. The image sensor includes the pixel array circuit and a readout circuit. The pixel array circuit includes pixel units. Each pixel unit includes a photo sensor, N storages, N transmission circuits, and M floating diffusion nodes. The N storages are coupled to the photo sensor and configured to store charges accumulated by the photo sensor at different exposures. Each transmission circuit is coupled between a corresponding storage and a corresponding floating diffusion node, and controlled by one of N transmission control signals to transmit the charges of the corresponding storage to the corresponding floating diffusion node during a certain time period. The readout circuit is coupled to the M floating diffusion nodes and configured to obtain N digital pixel values respectively corresponding to N image frames according to voltages of the M floating diffusion nodes of each pixel unit.

A sensing apparatus adapted to detect samples is provided. The sensing apparatus includes a light source, a light-penetrating medium, a metal thin film, and a plurality of sensors. The light source is adapted to provide a light beam. The light-penetrating medium has an optical surface. The metal thin film is disposed on the optical surface of the light-penetrating medium. The samples are adapted to be placed on the metal thin film. After the light beam enters the light-penetrating medium from a side away from the optical surface, the light beam is adapted to be totally internally reflected at the optical surface, such that surface plasmon resonance occurs at a surface of the metal thin film to excite the samples. The samples are adapted to emit signal light beams after being excited. The plurality of sensors are adapted to sense the signal light beams. The metal thin film is disposed between the plurality of sensors and the light-penetrating medium.

A visible light communication sensor and visible light communication method are provided. The visible light communication sensor includes a comparator, a sensing unit, and a first ramp signal generator. The comparator includes a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal. The sensing unit is coupled to the first input terminal of the comparator. The sensing unit is configured to sense a visible light communication signal to output a sensing signal to the first input terminal of the comparator. The first ramp signal generator is coupled to the second input terminal of the comparator and is configured to output the first ramp signal to the second input terminal of the comparator. The comparator outputs a comparison result signal via the output terminal according to the voltage values of the first input terminal and the second input terminal.

A visible light communication sensor is provided. The visible light communication sensor includes a sensing module, an image data readout circuit, and a visible light communication data readout circuit. The sensing module includes a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array. When the sensing module performs an image sensing operation, a first portion of the pixel units performs an image sensing operation, and the image data readout circuit is idle. When the sensing module performs a visible light communication operation, a second portion of the plurality of pixel units receives a visible light communication signal, so that the visible light communication data readout circuit outputs the visible light communication data, and the image data readout circuit performs an analog-to-digital conversion on a plurality of image sensing signals outputted by the first portion of the plurality of pixel units performed in the image sensing operation to output image sensing data.

Devices, methods and techniques related to high voltage and high-power diamond transistors are disclosed. In one example aspect, a switch operable under high-voltage and high-power includes a P-type diamond layer doped with an acceptor material, a first N-type diamond layer doped with a donor material and in contact with one side of the P-type diamond layer, a light blocking layer comprising the one or more apertures configured to allow the light to enter the first N-type diamond layer, a source contact and a drain contact that are at least partially in contact with the P-type diamond layer, and the gate in contact with at least an area of the first N-type diamond layer that corresponds to one of the one or more apertures. The gate can be positioned on the backside of the substrate.

A photovoltaic photodetector includes a substrate, a graphene layer, and a dielectric layer positioned between the substrate and the graphene layer. One or more first antenna electrodes includes a first metal in direct contact with the graphene layer. One or more second antenna electrodes includes a second metal in direct contact with the graphene layer. The first and second metals have different work functions. A drain electrode is electrically coupled to the one or more first antenna electrodes, and a source electrode is electrically coupled to the one or more second antenna electrodes. The photovoltaic photodetector can be configured to be operable over a wavelength region of 2 m to 24 m and has a response time of 10 ns or less.

In various embodiments, a simple, robust molybdenum disulfide (MoS.sub.2) based photosensor is provided that is able to detect both light intensity and wavelength. The MoS.sub.2 based photosensor may be structured as a field effect transistor (FET) with a back-gate configuration, including MoS.sub.2 nanoflake layers, an insulating layer coated, doped substrate, and source, drain and backgate electrodes. The photoresponse of the MoS.sub.2 based photosensor exhibits a fast response component that is only weakly dependent on the wavelength of light incident on the sensor and a slow response component that is strongly dependent on the wavelength of light incident on the sensor. The fast response component alone may be analyzed to determine intensity of the light, while the slow response component may be analyzed to determine the wavelength of the light.

A microfluidic system includes a liquid drop accommodation space, an array of photosensitivity detection circuits and an array of driving circuits between an upper substrate and a lower substrate. Each photosensitivity detection circuit includes a photosensitive transistor and a first gating transistor. The photosensitive transistor has a gate electrode coupled to a first scan signal line, a source electrode coupled to a first power supply voltage signal line, and a drain electrode coupled to a source electrode of the first gating transistor. The first gating transistor has a gate electrode coupled to a second scan signal line, and a drain electrode coupled to a read signal line. Each driving circuit includes a driving transistor and a driving electrode. The driving transistor has a gate electrode coupled to a third scan signal line, a source electrode coupled to a data signal line, and a drain electrode coupled to the driving electrode.

A two-terminal photon-effect transistor (PET) is described that simplifies the photo sensing pixel by combing photodiode and field effect transistor dual functions into one simple but effective unit. Photons excite electrons from the valance band of semiconducting material as the electrode-free gate to modulate resistivity between source and drain, which directly results in current amplification of photo signal without traditional photo-electrical conversion and electrical amplification dual processes. PET possesses significance in both structural simplification and functional enhancement. As an implementing example of PET, a nanowire camera (NC) with large sensing area and extremely high resolution is fabricated by integrating millions of vertically aligned nanowire arrays in-between of orthogonal top and bottom nano-stripe electrodes. Each nanowire works as independent three-dimensional (3D) PET pixel, enabling the NC an ultra-high resolution and much simplified architecture. NC has pixel size of 50 nm which is two orders higher than existing CCD and CMOS image sensors.

Devices, methods and techniques related to high voltage and high-power diamond transistors are disclosed. In one example aspect, a switch operable under high-voltage and high-power includes a P-type diamond layer doped with an acceptor material and an N-type diamond region doped with a donor material. The P-type diamond layer is at least partially embedded the N-type diamond region. The switch includes a layer comprising one or more apertures configured to allow illumination from a light source to pass through to reach the N-type diamond region, a source contact and a drain contact that are at least partially in contact with the P-type diamond layer; and a gate in contact with at least an area of the N-type diamond region.