Material structures, systems and devices are disclosed. The material structures are active materials, which are able to emit UV/visible light under excitation by bias, by light beam or by electron beam. The input unit is a source of voltage/current or a source of light or a source of electron beam. The active unit is a material structure containing one or more layers of the described materials. The system may include a passive unit such as a ring resonator, a waveguide, coupler, grating or else. Additional units such as a control unit, readout unit or else may be also incorporated.

The distinguished characteristic of the present invention is that the UV or visible emission from the described structures cannot happen without the presence of at least one of the following quasi-particles: surface plasmons, surface plasmon polaritons, bulk plasmons and/or bulk plasmon polaritons. These quasi-particles assist the UV and the visible light emission.

Methods and apparatuses to produce graphene and nanoparticle catalysts supported on graphene without the use of reducing agents, and with the concomitant production of heat, are provided. The methods and apparatuses employ radiant energy to reduce (deoxygenate) graphite oxide (GO) to graphene, or to reduce a mixture of GO plus one or more metals to produce nanoparticle catalysts supported on graphene. Methods and systems to generate and utilize heat that is produced by irradiating GO, graphene and their metal and semiconductor nanocomposites with visible, infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. using sunlight, lasers, etc. are also provided.

A solar cell of an embodiment includes a p-electrode, a p-type light-absorbing layer directly in contact with the p-electrode, an n-type layer, and an n-electrode. The n-type layer is disposed between the p-type light-absorbing layer and the n-electrode. A region from an interface between the p-type light-absorbing layer and the p-electrode to 10 nm to 100 nm from the interface in a direction of the n-type layer is a p+ type region including a p-type dopant.

The invention provides a silicon pn based device with different dopant and impurity implanted concentrations strategically placed in the device, the pn junction being reverse biased, such that the 650 nm optical emission is stimulated and enhanced. The invention extends to a silicon avalanche light emitting device comprising a first junction and a second junction, said first junction including a reverse biased excitation zone for injecting high energy carriers in a first direction and said second junction being forward biased so as to inject high density low energy carriers opposite to said first direction, wherein an interaction zone is formed between said first junction and said second junction so as to enhance emission of 650 nm photons through interactions between said high energy carriers and said low energy carriers.

The present disclosure provides a silicon-based direct band gap light-emitting material compatible with the CMOS fabrication process, and a preparation method thereof. The method comprises steps of: preparing a silicon-based material, wherein the silicon-based material is a germanium material or a silicon-germanium alloy; filling some of lattice interstitial sites of the silicon-based material with noble gas atoms and/or other atoms with a low atomic number, so as to expand the lattice volume in order to transform the band structure from indirect band gap to direct band gap, thereby obtaining a silicon-based direct band gap light-emitting material. The present disclosure also provides a silicon-based light-emitting device. The preparation method of the present disclosure is compatible with CMOS integrated circuit processes, and realizes direct band gap light-emission from germanium and silicon germanium alloy materials with a light-emitting efficiency comparable to that of direct band gap Group III-V materials such as InP and GaAs, thus offering a completely new solution for on-chip light sources required for silicon- or germanium-based optoelectronic integration technologies.

Diamond Seed Technology is a material comprising man-made diamond to pure diamond used as semiconductors or conductors to solve the problem of design life expectancy and durability, power generation and output, heat resistance, propulsion, emissions reduction and its flexibility for existing and future designs. This material can be used for various materials, to produce or modify apparatus' and devices such as semiconductors, conductors, fuel cells, light bulb filament illumination, GUI [Graphical User Interfaces; monitor, television, smart screens, portable devices and etc.], LED's, solar cells/panels/bulbs and wherever semiconductors are used in various industries, land, sea and aerospace transportation, portable uses, stationary installations such residential/commercial properties, technological fields and industries and that utilize GUI [Graphic User Interface].

A germanium semiconductor layer doped with a dopant such as boron becomes a p-type semiconductor. The semiconductor layer is preheated at a preheating temperature ranging from 200 C. to 300 C., and then heated at a treatment temperature ranging from 500 C. to 900 C., by extremely short-time irradiation of flash light. While oxygen is unavoidably mixed in germanium and becomes a thermal donor at 300 C. to 500 C., the semiconductor layer stays in a temperature range of 300 C. to 500 C. for a negligibly short period of time due to an extremely short irradiation time of 0.1 milliseconds to 100 milliseconds by the flash light. Therefore, the thermal donor can be prevented from being generated in the germanium semiconductor layer.

A solar cell of an embodiment includes a p-electrode, a p-type light-absorbing layer directly in contact with the p-electrode, an n-type layer, and an n-electrode. The n-type layer is disposed between the p-type light-absorbing layer and the n-electrode. A region from an interface between the p-type light-absorbing layer and the p-electrode to 10 nm to 100 nm from the interface in a direction of the n-type layer is a p+ type region including a p-type dopant.

Material structures, systems and devices are disclosed. The material structures are active materials, which are able to emit UV/visible light under excitation by bias, by light beam or by electron beam. The input unit is a source of voltage/current or a source of light or a source of electron beam. The active unit is a material structure containing one or more layers of the described materials. The system may include a passive unit such as a ring resonator, a waveguide, coupler, grating or else. Additional units such as a control unit, readout unit or else may be also incorporated.

The distinguished characteristic of the present invention is that the UV or visible emission from the described structures cannot happen without the presence of at least one of the following quasi-particles: surface plasmons, surface plasmon polaritons, bulk plasmons and/or bulk plasmon polaritons. These quasi-particles assist the UV and the visible light emission.

A superlattice and method for forming that superlattice are disclosed. In particular, an engineered layered single crystal structure forming a superlattice is disclosed. The superlattice provides p-type or n-type conductivity, and comprises alternating host layers and impurity layers, wherein: the host layers consist essentially of a semiconductor material; and the impurity layers consist of a donor or acceptor material.