A photodetector device includes a germanium semiconductor layer including a plurality of nanostructures at an upper surface of the germanium semiconductor layer, a conductive layer on the plurality of nanostructures, the conductive layer and the germanium semiconductor layer forming a first Schottky junction, and a tunneling barrier layer between the germanium semiconductor layer and the conductive layer.

Disclosed are functionalized Group IVA particles, methods of preparing the Group IVA particles, and methods of using the Group IVA particles. The Group IVA particles may be passivated with at least one layer of material covering at least a portion of the particle. The layer of material may be a covalently bonded non-dielectric layer of material. The Group IVA particles may be used in various technologies, including lithium ion batteries and photovoltaic cells.

The photodetector is formed in a silicon carbide body formed by a first epitaxial layer of an N type and a second epitaxial layer of a P type. The first and second epitaxial layers are arranged on each other and form a body surface including a projecting portion, a sloped lateral portion, and an edge portion. An insulating edge region extends over the sloped lateral portion and the edge portion. An anode region is formed by the second epitaxial layer and is delimited by the projecting portion and by the sloped lateral portion. The first epitaxial layer forms a cathode region underneath the anode region. A buried region of an N type, with a higher doping level than the first epitaxial layer, extends between the anode and cathode regions, underneath the projecting portion, at a distance from the sloped lateral portion as well as from the edge region.

A solar cell is provided, including: a semiconductor substrate including a front surface and a rear surface arranged opposite to each other; an emitter located on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate; a front passivation layer located over the front surface of the semiconductor substrate; a tunneling layer located over the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate; a doped conductive layer located over a surface of the tunneling layer; a rear passivation layer located over a surface of the doped conductive layer; a front electrode in contact with the emitter; and a rear electrode in contact with the first doped conductive layer. The doped conductive layer includes a first doped conductive layer corresponding to a rear metallized region, and a second doped conductive layer corresponding to a rear non-metallized region. The first doped conductive layer has an oxygen content less than the second doped conductive layer.

In one aspect, optoelectronic devices are described herein. In some implementations, an optoelectronic device comprises a photovoltaic cell. The photovoltaic cell comprises a space-charge region, a quasi-neutral region, and a low bandgap absorber region (LBAR) layer or an improved transport (IT) layer at least partially positioned in the quasi-neutral region of the cell.

A photodetector including a substrate having a semiconductor material layer, such as a silicon-containing layer, and a germanium-based well embedded in the semiconductor material layer, where a gap is located between a lateral side surface of the germanium-based well and the surrounding semiconductor material layer. The gap between the lateral side surface of the germanium-based well and the surrounding semiconductor material layer may reduce the surface contact area between the germanium-containing material of the well and the surrounding semiconductor material, which may be a silicon-based material. The formation of the gap located between a lateral side surface of the germanium-based well and the surrounding semiconductor material layer may help minimize the formation of crystal defects, such as slips, in the germanium-based well, and thereby reduce the dark current and improve photodetector performance.

An infrared detector and a method for forming it are provided. The detector includes absorber, barrier, and contact regions. The absorber region includes a first semiconductor material, with a first lattice constant, that produces charge carriers in response to infrared light. The barrier region is disposed on the absorber region and comprises a superlatice that includes (i) first barrier region layers comprising the first semiconductor material, and (ii) second barrier region layers comprising a second semiconductor material, different from, but lattice matched to, the first semiconductor material. The first and second barrier region layers are alternatingly arranged. The contact region is disposed on the barrier region and comprises a superlattice that includes (i) first contact region layers comprising the first semiconductor material, and (ii) second contact region layers comprising the second semiconductor material layer. The first and second contact region layers are alternatingly arranged.

A light-emitting layer for a halide perovskite light-emitting device, a method for manufacturing the same and a perovskite light-emitting device using the same are disclosed. The light-emitting layer can be manufactured by forming a first nanoparticle thin film by coating, on a member, a solution comprising halide perovskite nanoparticles having a halide perovskite nanocrystalline structure. Thereby, a nanoparticle light emitter has therein a halide perovskite having a crystal structure in which FCC and BCC are combined; and can show high color purity. In addition, it is possible to improve the luminescence efficiency and luminance of a device by making perovskite as nanoparticles and then introducing the same into a light-emitting layer.

An optical sensing apparatus including: a substrate including a first material; an absorption region including a second material different from the first material; an amplification region formed in the substrate and configured to collect at least a portion of the photo-carriers from the absorption region and to amplify the portion of the photo-carriers; an interface-dopant region formed in the substrate between the absorption region and the amplification region; a buffer layer formed between the absorption region and the interface-dopant region; one or more field-control regions formed between the absorption region and the interface-dopant region and at least partially surrounding the buffer layer; and a buried-dopant region formed in the substrate and separated from the absorption region, where the buried-dopant region is configured to collect at least a portion of the amplified portion of the photo-carriers from the amplification region.

Disclosed is a single photon avalanche diode comprises a first well having a first conductivity type, a heavily doped region provided on the first well, a guard ring surrounding the heavily doped region, and a second region formed between the first well and the heavily doped region and configured to multiply charge carriers. The heavily doped region and the guard ring have a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type. The second region extends onto a boundary between a lower portion of the guard ring and the first well.