A semiconductor device includes a light emitting element comprising a substrate having a first and a second surface and an outer edge connecting the first and second surfaces. A light emitting layer is on a central portion of the first surface but not on a peripheral portion between the central portion and the outer edge of the substrate. A first insulating layer is disposed on the peripheral portion of the first surface, a side surface of the light emitting layer, and a third surface of the light emitting layer that is spaced from the first surface of the substrate. A first electrode is electrically contacting the third surface of the light emitting layer. A light receiving element is provided in a propagation path of light emitted from the light emitting element.

A photo-sensing unit including a first electrode, a first insulation layer, a photo-sensing structure and a second electrode is provided. The first insulation layer covers the first electrode and has an opening exposing the first electrode. The photo-sensing structure is located on the first electrode and disposed in the opening of the first insulation layer. The photo-sensing structure includes a first photo-sensing layer and a second photo-sensing layer stacked with each other. A material of the first photo-sensing layer is Si.sub.xGe.sub.yO.sub.z. A material of the second photo-sensing layer is Si.sub.vO.sub.w. The second electrode covers the photo-sensing structure. A photo-sensing apparatus including the photo-sensing unit and a fabricating method of a photo-sensing unit are also provided.

A ranging apparatus includes an array of light sensitive detectors configured to receive light from a light source which has been reflected by an object. The array includes a number of different zones. Readout circuitry including at least one read out channel is configured to read data output from each of the zones. A processor operates to process the data output to determine position information associated with the object.

A photo-sensing unit including a first electrode, a first insulation layer, a photo-sensing structure and a second electrode is provided. The first insulation layer covers the first electrode and has an opening exposing the first electrode. The photo-sensing structure is located on the first electrode and disposed in the opening of the first insulation layer. The photo-sensing structure includes a first photo-sensing layer and a second photo-sensing layer stacked with each other. A material of the first photo-sensing layer is Si.sub.xGe.sub.yO.sub.z. A material of the second photo-sensing layer is Si.sub.vO.sub.w. The second electrode covers the photo-sensing structure. A photo-sensing apparatus including the photo-sensing unit and a fabricating method of a photo-sensing unit are also provided.

Ambient light sensing and proximity sensing is accomplished using pairs of stacked photodiodes. Each pair includes a shallow diode with a shallow junction depth that is more sensitive to light having a shorter wavelength and a deeper diode with a deeper junction depth more sensitive to light with longer wavelengths. Photodiodes receiving light passed through cyan, yellow, and magenta filters and light passed without a color filter are used to generate red, green, and blue information through a subtractive approach. The shallow diodes are used to generate lux values for ambient light and the deeper diodes are used for proximity sensing. One or more of the deep diodes may be used in correction to lux determinations of ambient light.

Various embodiments of a power source and method of forming such power source are disclosed. The power source can include a substrate and a cavity disposed in a first major surface of the substrate. The power source can also include radioactive material disposed within the cavity, where the radioactive material emits radiation particles; and particle converting material disposed within the cavity, where the particle converting material converts one or more radiation particles emitted by the radioactive material into light. The power source further includes a sealing layer disposed such that the particle converting material and the radioactive material are hermetically sealed within the cavity, and a photovoltaic device disposed adjacent the substrate. The photovoltaic device can convert at least a portion of the light emitted by the particle converting material that is incident upon an input surface of the photovoltaic device into electrical energy.

An optical sensor includes: a light emitting element 40; a lower substrate 20 on which the light emitting element 40 is provided; an upper substrate 10 provided so that the light emitting element 40 is positioned between the upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 20; and an optical block 30 provided on the upper substrate 10. The upper substrate 10 includes a division-type photodiode SD. The optical block 30 is configured to reflect light emitted from the light emitting element 40 toward a measurement target R, and light reflected by the measurement target R is incident onto the division-type photodiode SD.

A method of forming an integrated photonic semiconductor structure having a photodetector and a CMOS device may include forming the CMOS device on a first silicon-on-insulator region, forming a silicon optical waveguide on a second silicon-on-insulator region, and forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) region surrounding the silicon optical waveguide such that the shallow trench isolation electrically isolating the first and second silicon-on-insulator region. Within a first region of the STI region, a first germanium material is deposited adjacent a first side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide. Within a second region of the STI region, a second germanium material is deposited adjacent a second side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide, whereby the second side wall opposes the first side wall. The first and second germanium material form an active region that evanescently receives propagating optical signals from the first and second side wall of the semiconductor optical waveguide.

An optical device includes a light element that outputs first output light and second output light, a first light-receiving portion that converts the first output light into a first electrical signal, a second light-receiving portion that converts the second output light into a second electrical signal, a substrate having a plurality of surfaces, a first electrode which is provided on the substrate and is connected to the first light-receiving portion, and a second electrode which is provided on the substrate and is connected to the second light-receiving portion, and a part of the first electrode is disposed on a surface different from a surface on which the second electrode is disposed.

A light controlled semiconductor switch (LCSS), method of making, and method of using are provided. In embodiments, a lateral LCSS includes: a semiconductor body including a photoactive layer of gallium nitride (GaN) doped with carbon; a first electrode in contact with a first surface of the semiconductor body; and a second electrode in contact with the first surface of the semiconductor body, the first and second electrodes defining an area through which light energy from at least one light source can impinge on the first surface, wherein the LCSS is configured to switch from a non-conductive off-state to a conductive on-state when the light energy impinging on the semiconductor body is sufficient to raise electrons within the photoactive layer into a conduction band of the photoactive layer.