An integrated circuit includes a photodetector. The photodetector includes one or more dielectric structures positioned in a trench in a semiconductor substrate. The photodetector includes a photosensitive material positioned in the trench and covering the one or more dielectric structures. A dielectric layer covers the photosensitive material. The photosensitive material has an index of refraction that is greater than the indices of refraction of the dielectric structures and the dielectric layer.

According to the embodiments provided herein, a photovoltaic device can include an absorber layer. The absorber layer can be doped p-type with a Group V dopant and can have a carrier concentration of the Group V dopant greater than 410.sup.15 cm.sup.3. The absorber layer can include oxygen in a central region of the absorber layer. The absorber layer can include an alkali metal in the central region of the absorber layer. Methods for carrier activation can include exposing an absorber layer to an annealing compound in a reducing environment. The annealing compound can include cadmium chloride and an alkali metal chloride.

A photovoltaic device is presented. The photovoltaic device includes a layer stack; and an absorber layer is disposed on the layer stack. The absorber layer comprises selenium, wherein an atomic concentration of selenium varies across a thickness of the absorber layer. The photovoltaic device is substantially free of a cadmium sulfide layer.

A method of manufacturing a cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell is provided. The method includes pumping a vacuum chamber to a base pressure and pumping the vacuum chamber to a sputtering pressure. The method includes providing into the vacuum chamber a first gas at a rate that balances a flow of the first gas in and out of the vacuum chamber with respect to the sputtering pressure and heating a surface of a partially manufactured cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell within the vacuum chamber to a calibrated deposition temperature. The method includes providing into the vacuum chamber a second gas including at least a hydrogen gas (H.sub.2) at a proportional rate to achieve a target gas mix while maintaining the sputtering pressure and depositing a target material onto the surface to form a back contact section of the cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell.

A method of manufacturing a cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell is provided. The method includes pumping a vacuum chamber to a base pressure and pumping the vacuum chamber to a sputtering pressure. The method includes providing into the vacuum chamber a first gas at a rate that balances a flow of the first gas in and out of the vacuum chamber with respect to the sputtering pressure and heating a surface of a partially manufactured cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell within the vacuum chamber to a calibrated deposition temperature. The method includes providing into the vacuum chamber a second gas including at least a hydrogen gas (H.sub.2) at a proportional rate to achieve a target gas mix while maintaining the sputtering pressure and depositing a target material onto the surface to form a back contact section of the cadmium (Cd) alloy transmissive solar cell.

An integrated circuit includes a photodetector. The photodetector includes one or more dielectric structures positioned in a trench in a semiconductor substrate. The photodetector includes a photosensitive material positioned in the trench and covering the one or more dielectric structures. A dielectric layer covers the photosensitive material. The photosensitive material has an index of refraction that is greater than the indices of refraction of the dielectric structures and the dielectric layer.

A method for manufacturing a photodetection device, which includes the following steps: making a cadmium-rich structured coating, over a substrate of Cd.sub.xHg.sub.1-xTe, and using a first etching mask; etching to enlarge the through openings of the first etching mask or the through openings of an interlayer etched with the structured coating, so as to form a second etching mask; injecting acceptor doping elements into the substrate, throughout the second etching mask, and activating and diffusing the acceptor doping elements to form at least one P doped region in the semiconductor substrate; selective interdiffusion annealing of cadmium, so as to form in each P doped region a cadmium-rich concentrated well with a cadmium concentration lateral gradient; and making at least one electrical contact pad, at each through opening in the structured coating.

A substrate to fabricate a photodiode structure has a top layer made from cadmium-doped semiconductor material. A first HgCdTe-base layer is formed by liquid phase epitaxy from the top layer with a bath containing an n-type electrically active dopant to electrically dope the first layer. The cadmium diffuses from the top layer to the first layer to form a decreasing cadmium concentration gradient from the interface with the top layer in a direction away from the interface. The cadmium concentration gradient causes a decreasing band gap width gradient in the first layer from the interface and causes an n-type dopant concentration gradient in the first layer from the interface.

A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and at least one Se-containing layer, such as a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing the photovoltaic device includes forming the CdSeTe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process can also include controlling a thickness range of the Se-containing layer.

A method of baking a detector, the method comprising: placing a mid-wave infrared detector in an environmental chamber, wherein the environmental chamber is opaque. The mid-wave infrared detector comprises an anode, a guard terminal, and a cathode. The method further comprising connecting the anode to the cathode in a short circuit configuration, heating the environmental chamber to a bake temperature selected in the range of 60 to 70 degrees Celsius, and maintaining the detector in the environmental chamber for a period selected in the range of 72 hours to 240 hours.