SEMICONDUCTOR INFRARED PHOTODETECTORS

摘要

A semiconductor device capable of enhanced sub-bandgap photon absorption and detection is described. This semiconductor device includes a p-n junction structure formed of a semiconductor material, wherein the p-n junction structure is configured such that at least one side of the p-n junction (p-side or n-side) is spatially confined in at least one dimension of the device (e.g., the direction perpendicular to the p-n junction interface). Moreover, at least one side of the p-n junction (p-side or n-side) is heavily doped. The semiconductor device also includes electrical contacts formed on a semiconductor substrate to apply an electrical bias to the p-n junction to activate the optical response at target optical wavelength corresponds to an energy substantially equal to or less than the energy band-gap of the first semiconductor material. In particular embodiments, the semiconductor material is silicon.

主权项

1. A semiconductor device for light detection, comprising:
a p-n junction structure formed of a first semiconductor material, including a p-type region and an n-type region:
wherein at least one region of the p-type and n-type regions is constructed to have at least one dimension sufficiently small to induce spatial confinement for the majority carriers associated with the first region; andwherein at least one region of the p-type and n-type regions is heavily doped above a first doping concentration to induce a large number of impurity states.