Abstract: A photo-detecting apparatus is provided. The photo-detecting apparatus includes a carrier conducting layer having a first surface; an absorption region is doped with a first dopant having a first conductivity type and a first peak doping concentration, wherein the carrier conducting layer is doped with a second dopant having a second conductivity type and a second peak doping concentration, wherein the carrier conducting layer comprises a material different from a material of the absorption region, wherein the carrier conducting layer is in contact with the absorption region to form at least one heterointerface, wherein a ratio between the first peak doping concentration of the absorption region and the second peak doping concentration of the carrier conducting layer is equal to or greater than 10; and a first electrode and a second electrode both formed over the first surface of the carrier conducting layer.

Abstract: Methods, devices, apparatus, and systems for photo-detecting are provided. The photo-detecting apparatus includes a substrate, an absorption region supported by the substrate and configured to receive an optical signal and generate photo-carriers in response to the optical signal, and multiple sets of a switch including a first set and a second set. The substrate includes a first material, and the absorption region includes a second material. The absorption region is arranged in between the first set and the second set. Each of the multiple sets includes a respective control region and a respective readout region. The respective control regions of the multiple sets of the switch are configured to receive a control signal, and the respective readout regions of the multiple sets of the switch are configured to provide one or more electrical signals representing first collective information for deriving time-of-flight information associated with the optical signal.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for improved reconfigurable optical sensing are provided. For instance, an example optical sensing apparatus can include a photodetector array including a plurality of photodetectors. The optical sensing apparatus can include circuitry or one or more processing devices configured to receive one or more electrical signals representing an optical signal received by a first subset of the plurality of photodetectors; determine, based on the one or more electrical signals, a region of interest in the photodetector array for optical measurements; and deactivate, based on the region of interest, a second subset of the plurality of photodetectors of the photodetector array.

Abstract: A circuit, including: a photodetector including a first readout terminal and a second readout terminal different than the first readout terminal; a first readout circuit coupled with the first readout terminal and configured to output a first readout voltage; a second readout circuit coupled with the second readout terminal and configured to output a second readout voltage; and a common-mode analog-to-digital converter (ADC) including: a first input terminal coupled with a first voltage source; a second input terminal coupled with a common-mode generator, the common-mode generator configured to receive the first readout voltage and the second readout voltage, and to generate a common-mode voltage between the first and second readout voltages; and a first output terminal configured to output a first output signal corresponding to a magnitude of a current generated by the photodetector.

Abstract: An optical detector module can be used to implement proximity sensing function by detecting ambient light outside of the optical detector module in accordance with a first detection threshold. An optical detector module can be further used to implement other active functions such as material detection (e.g., skin) or depth-sensing by emitting one or more optical signals (e.g., light pulses at a specific wavelength) and detecting the reflected optical signals relative to a second and/or third detection threshold. The disclosure provides technical solutions for actively monitoring detection threshold(s) of an optical detector module to achieve better power management. In some embodiments, such solutions are useful for photodetectors having a wide sensing bandwidth, such as a photodetector formed in germanium or a photodetector comprising an absorption region comprising germanium.

Abstract: Systems and methods for sensing objects are provided. A sensing apparatus can include a sensor comprising a photo-detecting unit configured to absorb (i) a first incident light having a first wavelength to generate a first detecting signal and (ii) a second incident light having a second wavelength to generate a second detecting signal. The sensing apparatus can further include a calculation circuit coupled to the sensor. The calculation circuit can be configured to output a calculating result according to the first detecting signal and the second detecting signal. The sensing apparatus can further include an adjustment circuit coupled to the calculation circuit. The adjustment circuit can be configured to perform an adjustment to one or more functionalities associated with the sensing apparatus according to the calculating result.

Abstract: A photodetecting device is provided. The photodetecting device includes a silicon substrate, a germanium absorption region, and a plurality of microstructures. The silicon substrate includes a first surface and a second surface. The germanium absorption region is formed proximal to the first surface of the silicon substrate, and the germanium absorption region is configured to absorb photons and to generate photo-carriers. The plurality of microstructures are formed over the second surface of the silicon substrate, and the plurality of microstructures are configured to direct an optical signal towards the germanium absorption region. A system including an optical transmitter and an optical receiver is also provided.

Abstract: A photodetecting device includes a substrate, an array of sub-pixels, and a lens array covering the array of sub-pixels. Each sub-pixel includes a photosensitive layer supported by the substrate, the photosensitive layer being configured to absorb photons and generate photo-carriers, a first doped portion formed in the photosensitive layer of the respective sub-pixel, wherein the first doped portion includes dopants with a first conductivity type; and a second doped portion formed in the substrate, wherein the second doped portion includes dopants with a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type. The array further includes an isolation region separating two or more sub-pixels of the array, a routing layer formed on the substrate configured to electrically couple a circuit to multiple sub-pixels of the array. The lens array includes a spacer portion and a plurality of lenses arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with each of the sub-pixels.

Abstract: Described are systems and methods for ToF imaging of a target. The ToF imaging system includes an optical splitter that splits the light beam from a light source into multiple transmitting light beams. The transmitting light beams are directed towards a target, and one or more portions return as reflected light beams. A detector generates detector signals, representative of the reflected light beams. An electronically-controlled mirror is used to change the angular position of the transmitting light beams incident on the target, so that different regions of the target can be measured at different time instants. The ToF imaging system uses a flash and scan process to flash one region(s) of the target with the transmitting light beams during one sub-frame exposure and to scan other region(s) of the target during subsequent sub-frame exposures. An image processing apparatus constructs target information from multiple sub-frame exposure.

Abstract: Methods and devices for a display apparatus. In one aspect, a display apparatus includes a display device including a transparent layer, a display integrated circuit layer including one or more display control circuits, and a shielding layer between the transparent layer and the display integrated circuit layer, a near-infrared (NIR) light source and a visible light source, and a detector device including a detector integrated circuit layer including one or more detector control circuits, where a surface of the detector device contacts a surface of the display device, and a photodetector electrically coupled to at least one detector control circuit and including a detection region positioned to receive NIR light propagating from a front side of the display device to a back side of the display device along a path, where the shielding layer includes a filter region positioned in the path.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for eye gesture recognition. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining an electrical signal that represents a measurement, by a photodetector, of an optical signal reflected from an eye and determining a depth map of the eye based on phase differences between the electrical signal generated by the photodetector and a reference signal. Further, the method includes determining gaze information that represents a gaze of the eye based on the depth map and providing output data representing the gaze information.

Abstract: An optical sensing apparatus is provided. The optical sensing apparatus includes a substrate, one or more pixels supported by the substrate, where each of the one or more pixels includes an absorption region, a field control region, a first contact region, a second contact region and a carrier confining region. The field control region and the first contact region are doped with a dopant of a first conductivity type. The second contact region is doped with a dopant of a second conductivity type. The carrier confining region includes a first barrier region and a channel region, where the first barrier region is doped with a dopant of the second conductivity type and has a first peak doping concentration, and where the channel region is intrinsic or doped with a dopant of the second conductivity type and has a second peak doping concentration lower than the first peak doping concentration.

Abstract: An apparatus including a semiconductor substrate; an absorption layer coupled to the semiconductor substrate, the absorption layer including a photodiode region configured to absorb photons and to generate photo-carriers from the absorbed photons; one or more first switches controlled by a first control signal, the one or more first switches configured to collect at least a portion of the photo-carriers based on the first control signal; and one or more second switches controlled by a second control signal, the one or more second switches configured to collect at least a portion of the photo-carriers based on the second control signal, where the second control signal is different from the first control signal.

Abstract: A wafer includes a plurality of testing dies, a plurality of non-testing dies, and a dicing region. Each testing die includes: a first active area including one or more first active devices, and one or more first device pads electrically coupled to the one or more first active devices. Each non-testing die includes: a second active area including one or more second active devices, and one or more second device pads electrically coupled to the one or more second active devices. The dicing region includes one or more testing pads electrically coupled to the one or more first device pads. The one or more testing pads are arranged to receive one or more external probes for determining one or more characteristics of the one or more first active devices of the plurality of testing dies. The plurality of non-testing dies are electrically isolated from the dicing region.

Abstract: A photo-current amplification apparatus is provided. The photo-current amplification apparatus includes a photo-detecting device including: a substrate; an absorption region comprising germanium, the absorption region supported by the substrate and configured to receive an optical signal and to generate a first electrical signal based on the optical signal; an emitter contact region of a conductivity type; and a collector contact region of the conductivity type, wherein at least one of the emitter contact region or the collector contact region is formed outside the absorption region, and wherein a second electrical signal collected by the collector contact region is greater than the first electrical signal generated by the absorption region.

Abstract: A photo-detecting apparatus is provided. The photo-detecting apparatus includes: a substrate made by a first material or a first material-composite; an absorption layer made by a second material or a second material-composite, the absorption layer being supported by the substrate and the absorption layer including: a first surface; a second surface arranged between the first surface and the substrate; and a channel region having a dopant profile with a peak dopant concentration equal to or more than 1×1015 cm?3, wherein a distance between the first surface and a location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration is less than a distance between the second surface and the location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration, and wherein the distance between the first surface and the location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration is not less than 30 nm.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for multi-application optical sensing are provided. For example, an optical sensing apparatus can include a photodetector array, a first circuitry, and a second circuitry. The photodetector array includes a plurality of photodetectors, wherein a first subset of the plurality of photodetectors are configured as a first region for detecting a first optical signal, and a second subset of the plurality of photodetectors are configured as a second region for detecting a second optical signal. The first circuitry, coupled to the first region, is configured to perform a first function based on the first optical signal to output a first output result. The second circuitry, coupled to the second region, is configured to perform a second function based on the second optical signal to output a second output result.

Abstract: An optical detector module can be used to implement proximity sensing function by detecting ambient light outside of the optical detector module in accordance with a first detection threshold. An optical detector module can be further used to implement other active functions such as material detection (e.g., skin) or depth-sensing by emitting one or more optical signals (e.g., light pulses at a specific wavelength) and detecting the reflected optical signals relative to a second and/or third detection threshold. The disclosure provides technical solutions for actively monitoring detection threshold(s) of an optical detector module to achieve better power management. In some embodiments, such solutions are useful for photodetectors having a wide sensing bandwidth, such as a photodetector formed in germanium or a photodetector comprising an absorption region comprising germanium.

Abstract: A light emission apparatus includes a laser diode configured to emit a light; a laser driver electrically coupled to the laser diode, the laser driver being configured to drive the laser diode to generate the light; and an optical module arranged to receive the light emitted by the laser diode, the optical module comprising at least one optical element and being configured to adjust the light and emits a transmitting light; wherein the transmitting light emits from the optical module with an illumination angle and the optical module adjusts the light to vary the illumination angle.