A method includes forming a plurality of openings extending into a substrate from a front surface of the substrate. The substrate includes a first semiconductor material. Each of the plurality of openings has a curve-based bottom surface. The method includes filling the plurality of openings with a second semiconductor material. The second semiconductor material is different from the first semiconductor material. The method includes forming a plurality of pixels that are configured to sense light in the plurality of openings, respectively, using the second semiconductor material.

Disclosed herein is a method of producing an infrared detector. In certain embodiments, the method includes: forming a planar multi-layer structure including an absorber including a superlattice structure; patterning the planar multi-layer structure; etching the planar multi-layer structure to define a plurality of pixels, the sidewalls of the plurality of pixels includes a sidewall roughness and multiple types of surface oxides; and performing a surface treatment process to the plurality of pixels in order to reduce the sidewall roughness and replace the surface oxides with a chlorinated surface morphology. The surface treatment process may reduce surface current of the infrared detector which may decrease the dark current in the infrared detector.

A method includes forming a plurality of openings extending into a substrate from a front surface of the substrate. The substrate includes a first semiconductor material. Each of the plurality of openings has a curve-based bottom surface. The method includes filling the plurality of openings with a second semiconductor material. The second semiconductor material is different from the first semiconductor material. The method includes forming a plurality of pixels that are configured to sense light in the plurality of openings, respectively, using the second semiconductor material.

There is provided a light-detecting device. A light-detecting device includes a first substrate including a first electrode, a semiconductor layer, a first insulating film, and a via, and a second substrate that faces the first substrate and is electrically connected to the semiconductor layer through the via. The semiconductor layer includes a compound semiconductor material. The first electrode includes a first portion and the second portion. The first portion of the first electrode is in contact with the semiconductor layer, and the second portion is in contact with both the first insulating film and the via.

Techniques for realizing compound semiconductor (CS) optoelectronic devices on silicon (Si) substrates for mobile applications are disclosed. The integration platform is based on heteroepitaxy of CS materials and device structures on Si by direct heteroepitaxy on planar Si substrates or by selective area heteroepitaxy on dielectric patterned Si substrates. Following deposition of the CS device structures, device fabrication steps can be carried out using Si complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication techniques to enable large-volume manufacturing. The integration platform can enable manufacturing of optoelectronic devices including photodetector arrays for image sensors and vertical cavity surface emitting laser arrays. Such devices can be used in various applications including light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems for mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, and for other perception applications such as industrial vision, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

Techniques for realizing compound semiconductor (CS) optoelectronic devices on silicon (Si) substrates are disclosed. The integration platform is based on heteroepitaxy of CS materials and device structures on Si by direct heteroepitaxy on planar Si substrates or by selective area heteroepitaxy on dielectric patterned Si substrates. Following deposition of the CS device structures, device fabrication steps can be carried out using Si complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication techniques to enable large-volume manufacturing. The integration platform can enable manufacturing of optoelectronic module devices including photodetector arrays for image sensors and vertical cavity surface emitting laser arrays. Such module devices can be used in various applications including light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems for automotive and robotic vehicles as well as mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, and for other perception applications such as industrial vision, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

Some implementations described herein provide an optoelectronic device including a multi-layer photodiode structure having multiple sensing structures formed from one or more quantum effect materials (e.g., formed from multiple layers of quantum effect materials). The multiple sensing structures, which include sidewalls that are in contact with a substrate of the optoelectronic device, may be stacked and include overlapping portions. Through use of the multi-layer photodiode structure including the multiple sensing structures, a quantum length is increased relative to another photodiode structure including a single, planar sensing structure formed from a layer of a quantum effect material.

A photosensitive sensor includes a pixel formed by a photosensitive region in a first semiconductor material, a read region in a second semiconductor material, and a transfer gate facing the parts of the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material located between the photosensitive region and the read region. The first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material have different band gaps and are in contact with one another to form a heterojunction facing the transfer gate.

Provided is an image sensor including a plurality of first electrode layers spaced apart from each other, a second electrode layer opposite to the plurality of first electrode layers, and a pixel layer provided between the plurality of first electrode layers and the second electrode layer, the pixel layer including a plurality of nanorod pixels, wherein a size of each nanorod pixel among the plurality of nanorod pixels is less than 1 m, wherein the plurality of nanorod pixels include a first pixel including a compound semiconductor, and wherein the first pixel includes a first compound semiconductor layer doped with a first dopant, a second compound semiconductor layer that is undoped, and a third compound semiconductor layer doped with a second dopant different from the first dopant.

Some implementations described herein provide an optoelectronic device including a multi-layer photodiode structure. The multi-layer photodiode structure includes a stacked configuration of multiple sensing structures formed from quantum effect materials (e.g., a germanium material). By using the stacked configuration of multiple sensing structures, a quantum effect length is increased relative to another photodiode including a single layer photodiode structure. Furthermore, a lower sensing structure of the multi-layer sensing structure shares a substrate with integrated circuitry of the optoelectronic device. The lower sensing structure is electrically isolated from the integrated circuitry by doped isolation regions adjacent to sidewalls of the lower sensing structure.