An optical spectrometer contains a photodiode and a straining mechanism for imposing adjustable strain on the photodiode. The spectrometer includes a measurement apparatus for measuring variation of photocurrent with strain at different values of the adjustable strain imposed by the straining mechanism. Adjusting the strain allows adjustment of the band gap E.sub.g of the photosensitive region of the photodiode, and this determines the cut-off energy for absorption of photons. Measuring variation of photocurrent with strain at different values of the adjustable strain imposed by the straining mechanism allows study of photons within a desired energy range of the band gap energy corresponding to each strain value.

The disclosure provides a photoelectric detector. The photoelectric detector includes a waveguide layer, an absorption layer, and a cladding material. The absorption layer is located on the waveguide layer or at least partially embedded in the waveguide layer. The cladding material covers top portions and side walls of the waveguide layer and the absorption layer, at least one end surface of the photoelectric detector is a light incident surface, and light energy absorbed by a portion of the absorption layer adjacent to the light incident surface is smaller than light energy absorbed by other portions of the absorption layer.

The present disclosure relates to a microelectronics package with optical sensors and/or thermal sensors. The disclosed microelectronics package includes a module substrate, a thinned flip-chip die with an upper surface that includes a first surface portion and a second surface portion surrounding the first surface portion, and a first mold compound component. The thinned flip-chip die is attached to the module substrate and includes a device layer with sensor structure integrated at a top portion of the device layer. Herein, the sensor structure is below the first surface portion and not below the second surface portion. The first mold compound component is formed over the second surface portion to define a first cavity over the upper surface of the thinned flip-chip die. The first mold compound component is not over the first surface portion, and the first surface portion is exposed at the bottom of the first cavity.

A photoelectric conversion element includes a photoelectric conversion layer having the quantum structure and utilizes intersubband transition in a conduction band. The photoelectric conversion element includes a superlattice semiconductor layer in which a barrier layer and a quantum dot layer as a quantum layer are alternately and repeatedly stacked. The barrier layer includes an indirect transition semiconductor material, and the quantum dot layer has a nano-structure including a direct transition semiconductor material. The indirect transition semiconductor material constituting the barrier layer has a bandgap of more than 1.42 eV at room temperature.

Examples of the various techniques introduced here include, but not limited to, a mesa height adjustment approach during shallow trench isolation formation, a transistor via first approach, and a multiple absorption layer approach. As described further below, the techniques introduced herein include a variety of aspects that can individually and/or collectively resolve or mitigate one or more traditional limitations involved with manufacturing PDs and transistors on the same substrate, such as above discussed reliability, performance, and process temperature issues.

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 optoelectronic device for detecting electromagnetic radiation includes a body of semiconductor material. A first region and a second region that form a junction are provided within the body. A recess extends into the body and is delimited by side arranged transverse to a main surface of the body. The junction is exposed by the sidewall to coupled electromagnetic radiation received in the recess into a photodiode formed by the junction.

An epitaxial wafer of the present invention includes a substrate composed of a III-V compound semiconductor, a multiple quantum well structure composed of a III-V compound semiconductor and located on the substrate, and a top layer composed of a III-V compound semiconductor and located on the multiple quantum well structure. The substrate has a plane orientation of (100) and an off angle of 0.030 or more and +0.030 or less, and a surface of the top layer has a root-mean-square roughness of less than 10 nm.

A method produces a light-receiving device by growing a light-receiving layer having an undoped multi-quantum well structure; growing a cap layer on the light-receiving layer while the cap layer is doped with a p-type impurity during its growth; growing a mesa structure; growing a protective film on surfaces of the mesa structure; and annealing to form a p-n junction. The mesa structure is defined by a surrounding trench. Alternatively, a selective growth mask can be formed on the light-receiving layer whereafter the cap layer is grown on the light-receiving layer by use of the mask. In the alternative, the p-n junction is formed by diffusing p-type impurity from a p-type contact layer of the cap layer through a concentration adjusting layer thereof to the light-receiving layer.

A semiconductor optical device includes a semiconductor substrate having first to fourth regions, a 90-degree optical hybrid provided in the third region on a principal surface of the semiconductor substrate, first and second waveguides provided in the first region and being optically coupled to the 90-degree optical hybrid, a photodiode provided in the fourth region, a third waveguide provided in the second region to optically couple the 90-degree optical hybrid to the photodiode, and a metal layer provided on a back surface of the semiconductor substrate. The metal layer includes a first part provided in the first region and a second part provided in the second region that is spaced apart from the first part by a distance. The 90-degree optical hybrid has a first length. The distance between the first and second parts is more than or equal to the first length.