Plasmonic avalanche photodetection employs an optical antenna and an avalanche photodiode (APD) coupled to the optical antenna. Hot carriers generated by light incident on the optical antenna are received in an avalanche multiplication region of the APD where avalanche multiplication of the hot carriers is provided.

Structures and techniques introduced here enable the design and fabrication of photodetectors (PDs) and/or other electronic circuits using typical semiconductor device manufacturing technologies meanwhile reducing the adverse impacts on PDs' performance. Examples of the various structures and techniques introduced here include, but not limited to, a pre-PD homogeneous wafer bonding technique, a pre-PD heterogeneous wafer bonding technique, a post-PD wafer bonding technique, their combinations, and a number of mirror equipped PD structures. With the introduced structures and techniques, it is possible to implement PDs using typical direct growth material epitaxy technology while reducing the adverse impact of the defect layer at the material interface caused by lattice mismatch.

An avalanche photodiode includes a GeOI substrate; an IGe absorption layer configured to absorb an optical signal and generate a photo-generated carrier; a first p-type SiGe layer, a second p-type SiGe layer, a first SiGe layer, and a second SiGe layer, where a Si content in any one of the SiGe layers is less than or equal to 20%; a first SiO.sub.2 oxidation layer and a second SiO.sub.2 oxidation layer; a first taper type silicon Si waveguide layer and a second taper type silicon Si waveguide layer; a heavily-doped n-type silicon Si multiplication layer; and anode electrodes and a cathode electrode.

A solid state photomultiplier includes at least one microcell configured to generate an initial analog signal when exposed to optical photons. The solid state photomultiplier further includes a quench circuit electrically coupled with the at least one microcell. The quench circuit includes at least one quench resistor configured to exhibit a substantially constant temperature coefficient of resistance over a selected temperature range.

Techniques for enhancing the absorption of photons in semiconductors with the use of microstructures are described. The microstructures, such as holes, effectively increase the absorption of the photons. Using microstructures for absorption enhancement for silicon photodiodes and silicon avalanche photodiodes can result in bandwidths in excess of 10 Gb/s at photons with wavelengths of 850 nm, and with quantum efficiencies of approximately 90% or more. Their thickness dimensions allow them to be conveniently integrated on the same Si chip with CMOS, BiCMOS, and other electronics, with resulting packaging benefits and reduced capacitance and thus higher speeds.

A solid-state imaging device includes a detector, a count value storage, and a reader. The detector includes an avalanche amplification type light receiving element that detects a photon, and a resetter that resets an output potential of the light receiving element, and outputs a digital signal that indicates the presence or absence of incidence of a photon on the light receiving element. The count value storage performs counting by converting the digital signal output from the detector to an analog voltage, and stores the result of counting as a count value. The reader outputs an analog signal indicating the count value.

Superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors (SNAPs) have using meandering nanowires to detect incident photons. When a superconducting nanowire absorbs a photon, it switches from a superconducting state to a resistive state, producing a change in voltage that can be measured across the nanowire. A SNAP may include multiple nanowires in order to increase the fill factor of the SNAP's active area and the SNAP's detection efficiency. But using multiple meandering nanowires to achieve high fill-factor in SNAPs can lead to current crowding at bends in the nanowires. This current crowding degrades SNAP performance by decreasing the switching current, which the current at which the nanowire transitions from a superconducting state to a resistive state. Fortunately, staggering the bends in the nanowires reduces current crowding, increasing the nanowire switching current, which in turn increases the SNAP dynamic range.

A ToF SPAD based range detecting module is configurable for operation in a first mode to make a distance determination relative to an object within a field of view. The ToF SPAD based range detecting module is further configurable for operation in a second mode to enagage in bi-directional data communication with another apparatus within the field of view.

The present disclosure relates to a stacked SPAD image sensor with a CMOS Chip and an imaging chip bonded together, to improve the fill factor of the SPAD image sensor, and an associated method of formation. In some embodiments, the imaging chip has a plurality of SPAD cells disposed within a second substrate. The CMOS Chip has a first interconnect structure disposed over a first substrate. The imaging chip has a second interconnect structure disposed between the second substrate and the first interconnect structure. The CMOS Chip and the imaging chip are bonded together through along an interface disposed between the first interconnect structure and the second interconnect structure.

Disclosed is an avalanche photodiode using a silicon nanowire, including a first silicon nanowire formed of silicon (Si), a first conductive region formed by doping one surface of the first silicon nanowire with a first dopant, and a second conductive region formed by doping one surface of the first silicon nanowire with a second dopant having a conductive type different from that of the first dopant so as to be arranged continuously in a longitudinal direction from the first conductive region, wherein, when the magnitude of a reverse voltage applied to both ends of the first silicon nanowire is equal to or greater than a preset breakdown voltage, avalanche multiplication of inner current occurs due to the incidence of light from the outside.