A method for manufacturing a solar cell, a method for manufacturing a monocrystalline silicon wafer and a photovoltaic module. The method for manufacturing a monocrystalline silicon wafer includes: providing a monocrystalline silicon rod; squaring the monocrystalline silicon rod to form a quasi-square silicon rod with quasi-square cross-section having an arc, a length of the arc being not less than 15 mm; slicing the quasi-square silicon rod to form at least one quasi-square silicon wafer having the arc. The method for manufacturing at least one solar cell includes: using the method described above to obtain a quasi-square silicon wafer having an arc; forming a first solar cell by processing the quasi-square silicon wafer; scribing the first solar cell to obtain a square-shaped sub-solar cell and at least one strip-shaped sub-solar cell. The above methods improve the utilization rate of the monocrystalline silicon rod and reduce production cost.

An optoelectronic device comprising an optical waveguide formed in a silicon device layer of a silicon-on-insulator wafer. The optical waveguide including a semiconductor junction comprising a first doped region of semiconductor material and a second doped region of semiconductor material. The second doped region containing dopants of a different species to the first doped region. A first portion of the first doped region extends horizontally on top of the second doped region, a second portion of the first doped region extends vertically along a lateral side of the second doped region and a third portion of the first doped region protrudes as a salient from the first or second portion of the first doped region into the second doped region.

A cell assembly includes a silicon substrate; a first doped region and a second doped region, having opposite polarities. The first doped region is an N-type doped region; the first doped region includes a first doped layer, a passivation layer, and a second doped layer; the passivation layer of the first doped region is provided on the first doped layer of the first doped region; and a conductive channel is formed in the passivation layer of the first doped region.

The present disclosure provides a light detecting device. The light detecting devices includes an insulating layer, a silicon layer, a light detecting layer, N first doped regions and M second doped regions. The silicon layer is disposed over the insulating layer. The light detecting layer is disposed over the silicon layer and extends within at least a portion of the silicon layer. The first doped regions have a first dopant type and are disposed within the light detecting layer. The second doped regions have a second dopant type and are disposed within the light detecting layer. The first doped regions and the second doped regions are alternatingly arranged. M and N are integers equal to or greater than 2.

Disclosed are devices for optical sensing and manufacturing method thereof. In one embodiment, a device for optical sensing includes a substrate, a photodetector and a reflector. The photodetector is disposed in the substrate. The reflector is disposed in the substrate and spaced apart from the photodetector, wherein the reflector has a reflective surface inclined relative to the photodetector that reflects light transmitted thereto to the photodetector.

An apparatus and method for a detector are disclosed. The apparatus disclosed contains a non-absorbing layer shaped as one or more pyramids, one or more collector regions, an absorber layer disposed between the one or more collector regions and the non-absorbing layer, a first electrical contact, and a second electrical contact, wherein the absorber layer is configured to absorb photons of incident light and generate minority electrical carriers and majority electrical carriers, wherein the one or more collector regions are electrically connected with the absorber layer and with the first electrical contact for extracting the minority electrical carriers, and the absorber layer is electrically connected with the one or more collector regions and with the second electrical contact to extract the majority electrical carriers.

A quantum dot includes a core and a shell. The core includes a compound semiconductor and has a polyhedral shape. The polyhedral shape includes multiple surfaces and a vertex at which multiple edges between the surfaces adjacent to each other converge. The shell is provided at the surfaces and has a thickness at the part around the vertex in a vertical direction with respect to any one of the surfaces. The thickness is greater than a thickness at a part other than the part around the vertex in the same direction.

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for a curved solar panel with an undistorted printed design. The solar panel comprises a preformed substrate and superstrate having a design printed on at least one surfaces, via distortion printing during preform fabrication. A transformation from a flat state to the curved state is determined. The reverse transformation is applied to the desired design thereby producing a pre-distorted design. The pre-distorted design is printed on a surface of a layer prior to lamination and/or forming. Subsequent lamination may occur. The layer(s) may then be thermoformed into the final preform shape, wherein the design is substantially undistorted. The pre-distorted design may be printed on or proximate to the surface, or may be applied by a back sheet or transfer film and transferred thereto. The preforms are subsequently laminated with encapsulated solar cells forming a curved solar panel with an undistorted design.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device, including a substrate including a first semiconductor material and a semiconductor layer extending into an upper surface of the substrate and including a second semiconductor material with a different band gap than the first semiconductor material. The semiconductor device also includes a passive cap including a first dielectric material and disposed along the upper surface of the substrate and on opposite sides of the semiconductor layer, and a photodetector in the semiconductor layer. The first dielectric material includes silicon nitride.

Techniques for enhancing the absorption of photons in semiconductors with the use of microstructures are described. The microstructures, such as pillars and/or holes, effectively increase the effective absorption length resulting in a greater 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.