A method of manufacturing an optical semiconductor element includes: a first step in which a columnar structure of a semiconductor layer formed on a semi-insulating substrate is formed; a second step in which the substrate is exposed in a periphery of the columnar structure; a third step in which a region including exposed surfaces of the first contact layer and the substrate is pretreated; a fourth step in which a first electrode is formed on the exposed surface of the first contact layer; a fifth step in which an interlayer insulating film is formed in a region including a side surface of the columnar structure and the exposed surfaces; a sixth step in which a first electrode wiring is formed on the interlayer insulating film; and a seventh step in which a second electrode wiring is formed on the interlayer insulating film.

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.

A diode is described which comprises a light-sensitive germanium region (5) located on a waveguide (2) made of silicon or silicon germanium and which has lateral dimensions in a direction transverse to a direction of light propagation in the waveguide that are identical or at most 20 nm per side shorter in comparison with the waveguide.

A photodetector includes an insulating layer on a substrate, a first graphene layer on the insulating layer, a 2-dimensional (2D) material layer on the first graphene layer, a second graphene layer on the 2D material layer, a first electrode on the first graphene layer, and a second electrode on the second graphene layer. The 2D material layer includes a barrier layer and a light absorption layer. The barrier layer has a larger bandgap than the light absorption layer.

A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a substrate 13 and a photodiode 9 in which a first semiconductor layer 25, a second semiconductor layer 26 and a third semiconductor layer 27 are laminated on the substrate 13 in the stated order. The second semiconductor layer 26 is an i-type semiconductor layer, and one of the first semiconductor layer 25 and the third semiconductor layer 27 is an n-type semiconductor layer, and the other is a p-type semiconductor layer. Also, the first semiconductor layer 25 is covered by the second semiconductor layer 26.

Provided herein is a digital x-ray detector and a method for repairing a bad pixel thereof, the detector including a substrate; a gate line and a data line formed on the substrate such that the gate line and the data line intersect each other to form a pixel domain; a thin film transistor formed within the pixel domain such that the thin film transistor is adjacent to a portion where the gate line and the data line intersect each other, the thin film transistor including a gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode; a PIN diode which is formed within the pixel domain and which includes a lower electrode connected to the source electrode of the thin film transistor, a PIN layer formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the PIN layer; a bias line connected to the upper electrode of the PIN diode; and a scintillator arranged above the PIN diode, wherein on at least one of a surface of the drain electrode which faces the PIN diode and a surface of the PIN diode which faces the drain electrode, a groove is formed such that it expands a distance between the drain electrode and the PIN diode.

Techniques are disclosed for providing an optical sensor that can be used for wind sensing and an optical scope. The optical sensor can include a photodiode, an electrical switch, a trans-impedance amplifier (TIA), and a capacitive trans-impedance amplifier (CTIA), enabling the optical sensor to perform both wind-sensing and range-finding functions. Some embodiments may include some or all of these components in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), depending on desired functionality.

Disclosed is a photovoltaic device comprising a substrate composed of an oriented polycrystalline zinc oxide sintered body in a plate shape, a photovoltaic layer provided on the substrate, and an electrode provided on the photovoltaic layer. According to the present invention, a photovoltaic device having high photoelectric conversion efficiency can be inexpensively provided.

A Ge-on-Si photodetector constructed without doping or contacting Germanium by metal is described. Despite the simplified fabrication process, the device has responsivity of 1.24 A/W, corresponding to 99.2% quantum efficiency. Dark current is 40 nA at 4 V reverse bias. 3-dB bandwidth is 30 GHz.

A semiconductor light receiving device includes a substrate, a semiconductor fine line waveguide provided on the substrate, and a light receiving circuit that is provided on the substrate and that absorbs light propagating through the semiconductor fine line waveguide. The light receiving circuit includes a p type first semiconductor layer, a number of second semiconductor mesa structures provided on the p type first semiconductor layer in such a manner that an n type second semiconductor layer is provided on top of an i type second semiconductor layer, a p side electrode connected to the p type first semiconductor layer in a location between the second semiconductor mesa structures, and an n side electrode connected to the n type second semiconductor layer. The refractive index and the optical absorption coefficient of the second semiconductor layers are greater than the refractive index and the optical absorption coefficient of the first semiconductor layer.