After forming an absorber layer containing cracks over a back contact layer, a passivation layer is formed over a top surface of the absorber layer and interior surfaces of the cracks. The passivation layer is deposited in a manner such that that the cracks in the absorber layer are fully passivated by the passivation layer. An emitter layer is then formed over the passivation layer to pinch off upper portions of the cracks, leaving voids in lower portions of the cracks.

A thin film solar cell includes a protection layer, a substrate and a photovoltaic conversion structure having a stack of one or several of non-planar light absorption layers, a first conductive layer being light transmissive and a second conductive layer being at least partially transparent or totally reflective. When the second conductive layer is totally reflective, it reflects the sunlight to the adjacent part of the thin film solar cell, proceeding another photovoltaic conversion and generating electric power again. If the non-planar light absorption layer is sloped enough, there will be several photovoltaic conversions produced by the same incident sunlight. More power will be generated and the efficiency of conversion is increased. If the second conductive layer is at least partially transparent, the incident light will be reflected less. However, the structure will provide several opportunities of photovoltaic conversions for the light with larger incident angle.

In one example, a sensor comprises a photovoltaic device. The photovoltaic device comprises a core having a shape that is at least partially spherical, an absorber disposed over the core, and a transparent conductor disposed over the absorber. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.

An apparatus and method pertaining to a perpetual energy harvester. The harvester absorbs ambient infrared radiation and provides continual power regardless of the environment. The device seeks to harvest the largely overlooked blackbody radiation through use of a semiconductor thermal harvester.

After forming an absorber layer containing cracks over a back contact layer, a passivation layer is formed over a top surface of the absorber layer and interior surfaces of the cracks. The passivation layer is deposited in a manner such that that the cracks in the absorber layer are fully passivated by the passivation layer. An emitter layer is then formed over the passivation layer to pinch off upper portions of the cracks, leaving voids in lower portions of the cracks.

The present invention relates to plasmonic components, more particularly plasmonic waveguides, and to plasmonic photodetectors that can be used in the field of microoptics and nanooptics, more particularly in highly integrated optical communications systems in the infrared range (IR range) as well as in power engineering, e.g. photovoltaics in the visible range. The present invention also specifies a method for producing a plasmonic component, more particularly for photodetection on the basis of internal photoemission.

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.

An optical semiconductor device comprises, on a substrate, a fin of diamond-cubic semiconductor material and, at the base of the fin, a slab of that semiconductor material, in a diamond-hexagonal structure, that extends over the full width of the fin, the slab being configured as an optically active material. This semiconductor material can contain silicon. A method for manufacturing the optical semiconductor device comprises annealing the sidewalls of the fin, thereby inducing a stress gradient along the width of the fin.

A photovoltaic solar cell comprises a nano-patterned substrate layer. A plurality of nano-windows are etched into an intermediate substrate layer to form the nano-patterned substrate layer. The nano-patterned substrate layer is positioned between an n-type semiconductor layer composed of an n-type semiconductor material and a p-type semiconductor layer composed of a p-type semiconductor material. Semiconductor material accumulates in the plurality of nano-windows, causing a plurality of heterojunctions to form between the n-type semiconductor layer and the p-type semiconductor layer.

Various particular embodiments include a method for forming a photodetector, including: forming a structure including a barrier layer disposed between a layer of doped silicon (Si) and a layer of germanium (Ge), the barrier layer including a crystallization window; and annealing the structure to convert, via the crystallization window, the Ge to a first composition of silicon germanium (SiGe) and the doped Si to a second composition of SiGe.