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: A method for obtaining a heart rate value by an optical sensing apparatus includes: receiving, by a first calculator in a processor and from a light receiver, a PPG signal; receiving, by a second calculator in the processor and from a motion sensor, a motion signal; determining, by the first calculator, a first heart rate value; determining, by the first calculator, a validity indicator according to the PPG signal; and determining, by the second calculator, a second heart rate value according to the PPG signal and the motion signal. When the validity indicator is determined to satisfy a predetermined requirement, the processor outputs the first heart rate value as the heart rate value. When the validity indicator is determined to not satisfy the predetermined requirement, the processor outputs the second heart rate value as the heart rate value.

Abstract: A circuit that includes: a photodiode configured to absorb photons and to generate photo-carriers from the absorbed photons; a first MOSFET transistor that includes: a first channel terminal coupled to a first terminal of the photodiode and configured to collect a portion of the photo-carriers generated by the photodiode; a second channel terminal; and a gate terminal coupled to a first control voltage source; a first readout circuit configured to output a first readout voltage; a second readout circuit configured to output a second readout voltage; and a current-steering circuit configured to steer the photo-carriers generated by the photodiode to one or both of the first readout circuit and the second readout circuit.

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: 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. In one aspect, a photo-detecting apparatus includes: a pixel having an absorption region configured to receive an optical signal and to generate photo-carriers in response to the optical signal, a substrate supporting the absorption region, and at least one additional region formed in the substrate. The absorption region includes a first material, the substrate includes a second material different from the first material. The at least one additional region includes a third material different from the second material. A total area of the absorption region and the at least one additional region is at least 20% of an area of the pixel.

Abstract: A photo-detecting apparatus includes an absorption layer configured to absorb photons and to generate photo-carriers from the absorbed photons, wherein the absorption layer includes germanium. A carrier guiding unit is electrically coupled to the absorption layer, wherein the carrier guiding unit includes a first switch including a first gate terminal.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for calculating heart rate are disclosed herein. The apparatus can include a processor configured to calculate heart rate information. The processor includes a heart rate calculator including a memory configured to store a PPG signal and a calculation element coupled to the memory and configured to calculate a heart rate value and generate at least one quality checking factor according to the PPG signal. The processor also includes a checking element configured to determine a validity indicator according to the at least one quality checking factor, a memory control element coupled to the memory and configured to access the memory to transmit the PPG signal, and a multiplexer configured to output the PPG signal accessed by the memory control element or the heart rate value calculated by the calculation element according to the validity indicator.

Abstract: An optical sensing apparatus is provided. The optical sensing apparatus including: a substrate including a first material; an absorption region including a second material different from the first material, the absorption region configured to receive an optical signal and generate photo-carriers in response to receiving the optical signal; an amplification region formed in the substrate configured to collect at least a portion of the photo-carriers from the absorption region and to amplify the portion of the photo-carriers carriers; a buried-dopant region formed in the substrate and separated from the absorption region, wherein the buried-dopant region is configured to collect at least a portion of the amplified portion of the photo-carriers from the amplification region; and a buffer layer formed between the buried-dopant region and the absorption region, wherein the buffer layer is intrinsic and has a thickness not less than 150 nm.

Abstract: An optical sensing apparatus is provided. The optical sensing apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate composed of a first material; a transmitter-receiver set supported by the semiconductor substrate and including: (1) a photodetector includes an absorption region composed of a second material including germanium and configured to receive an optical signal and to generate photo-carriers in response to the optical signal; and (2) a light source including a light-emitting region composed of a third material including germanium and configured to emit a light toward a target; wherein the absorption region includes at least a property different from a property of the light-emitting region, wherein the property includes strain, conductivity type, peak doping concentration, or a ratio of the peak doping concentration to a peak doping concentration of the semiconductor substrate; wherein the first material is different from the second material and the third material.

Abstract: Systems and methods improving three-dimensional sensor measurement accuracy are provided. For instance, an example apparatus can include a distance-estimation system, a distance-refinement system, and a processing system. The distance-estimation system can be configured to receive a first optical signal and determine a first distance between two points in an environment. The distance-refinement system can be configured to receive a second optical signal and determine a second distance between the two points in the environment. The processing system can be configured to receive information representing the first distance and the second distance and determine, based on the first distance and the second distance, a third distance between the two points in the environment. The difference between a true distance of the two points in the environment and the first distance can be larger than a difference between the true distance of the two points in the environment and the third distance.

Abstract: A light emission system including a first sub-system. The first sub-system includes a storage inductor having a first inductor terminal coupled to a voltage source and a second inductor terminal; a storage capacitor having a first capacitor terminal coupled to the first terminal of the storage inductor, and a second capacitor terminal coupled to a reference voltage node; a switch having a control terminal coupled to a driver circuitry that sends a modulation signal to open or close the switch, a first channel terminal coupled to the second inductor terminal, and a second channel terminal coupled to the reference voltage node; and a load having N laser diodes coupled in series, where the N laser diodes include a first laser diode having a terminal coupled to the second inductor terminal, and an N-th laser diode having a terminal coupled to the reference voltage node.

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: 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: 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: 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.