Abstract: A light sensitive semiconductor structure comprises: a substrate; a doped upper region of said substrate having a first type of doping; a first implant region located below and being in direct contact with said doped upper region, said first implant region having a second type of doping so that a pn-junction is located between said doped upper region and said first implant region; and a second implant region located below said first implant region and having said second type of doping, and wherein a peak in a doping profile of said second type of doping is located in said second implant region.

Abstract: A light sensitive semiconductor structure comprises: a substrate; a doped upper region of said substrate having a first type of doping; a first implant region located below and being in direct contact with said doped upper region, said first implant region having a second type of doping so that a pn-junction is located between said doped upper region and said first implant region; and a second implant region located below said first implant region and having said second type of doping, and wherein a peak in a doping profile of said second type of doping is located in said second implant region.

Abstract: A semiconductor imaging apparatus including a light detection device in a silicon substrate, an optical filter arranged to filter light incident on the light detection device and including a gap for allowing unfiltered light to reach the silicon substrate, an isolation structure for stopping light generated charge carriers in the silicon substrate from reaching the light detection device, and a photodiode for detecting the charge carriers.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure for measuring a breakdown voltage of a pn-junction, said semiconductor structure comprises: a substrate; a sensor device comprising an optical active region comprising said pn-junction in said substrate, wherein said sensor device is configured to apply a reverse bias voltage to said pn-junction; and an emitter located adjacent to said optical active region in said substrate and configured to provide charge carriers to said optical active region in order to trigger breakdown of said pn-junction when said reverse bias voltage is equal to or greater than said breakdown voltage.

Abstract: An optical sensor including an array of photodiodes having a first and a second photodiode, each having an optical active region and a peripheral region. The sensor further includes a metal layer having a plurality of metal wires located in the peripheral regions of the first and second photodiodes, wherein the first photodiode is connected to a first subset of metal wires of the plurality of metal wires and wherein the second photodiode is connected to a second, different subset of metal wires of the plurality of metal wires.

Abstract: An optical sensor comprises a first and a second photodiode. Each photodiode comprises a respective light sensitive area. The second photodiode further comprises a wavelength-selective absorption layer arranged to selectively attenuate incident light before the light enters the light sensitive area of the second photodiode. The wavelength-selective absorption layer characterized by a low optical absorption in a wavelength range of 300 to 1100 nm and a high optical absorption in a wavelength range of 200 to 275 nm. The photodiodes are configured to generate respective electrical currents in response to incident light, and the optical sensor is configured to determine a light level based on a discrepancy between the electrical current generated by the first photodiode and the electrical current generated by the second photodiode.

Abstract: A method of forming a photodiode including providing a semiconductor wafer and performing a first doping step to form a first well in the wafer having a first type of doping. The method further includes performing a second doping step to form a second well having a second type of doping, so as to form a pn-junction of the photodiode between the first well and the second well. The method includes performing a shallow trench isolation etch to form a plurality of trenches in a surface of the wafer in the second well, and performing a third doping step by injecting dopants at a first angle relative to the surface of the wafer in order to increase a doping concentration of the second type of doping along the sides of the trenches in the second well. The method includes performing a fourth doping step by injecting dopants at a second angle relative to the surface of the wafer in order to increase a doping concentration of the second type of doping at the bottom of the trenches in the second well.

Abstract: A method of forming a light sensitive semiconductor structure is provided. The method includes providing a semiconductor wafer comprising a semiconductor layer comprising a light sensitive region, providing a gate structure comprising an insulation layer on said semiconductor layer and a polysilicon layer on said insulation layer, providing a contact stop layer on said gate structure, wherein said contact stop layer covers said light sensitive region, providing an etch mask, etching said contact stop layer using said etch mask to form said opening, etching said polysilicon layer using said etch mask, and providing a plurality of metal layers comprising a first metal layer electrically connected to said semiconductor layer and a plurality of dielectric layers between metal layers of said plurality of metal layers.

Abstract: An optical UV sensor comprises: a first photodiode sensitive to light in a first wavelength range and to light in a second wavelength range in the UV spectrum, wherein the second wavelength range comprises longer wavelengths than the first wavelength range, and wherein the first photodiode is configured to output a first signal in response to incident light; a second photodiode sensitive to light in the second wavelength range and comprising an absorption layer having an optical thickness in the range of 10 nm to 250 nm to absorb light in the first wavelength range, while being substantially transparent to light in the second wavelength range, wherein the second photodiode is configured to output a second signal in response to incident light; wherein the optical sensor is configured to output a difference between the first signal and the second signal.

Abstract: A light sensitive semiconductor structure including a pn-junction in a silicon substrate. The pn-junction includes a central part and an edge part around surrounding the central part, the edge part being in contact with a surface of the silicon substrate. The structure further includes a plasma shielding structure covering at least a depletion width of the pn-junction over at least a part of the edge part where the edge part contacts the surface of the silicon substrate.

Abstract: A dark reference device comprises: a photodiode comprising an optical active area; a light shield configured to prevent light from entering said optical active area, wherein said light shield comprises first and second overlapping metal covers, and wherein each of said metal covers comprises a plurality of openings overlapping said optical active area.

Abstract: A single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) device comprises: a silicon layer; an active region in said silicon layer for detecting incident light; and a blocking structure overlapping said active region for blocking incident light having a wavelength at least in the range of 200 nm to 400 nm, so that light having said wavelength can only be detected by said SPAD device when incident upon a region of said silicon layer outside of said active region.

Abstract: A light sensitive semiconductor structure comprises: a substrate; a doped upper region of said substrate having a first type of doping; a first implant region located below and being in direct contact with said doped upper region, said first implant region having a second type of doping so that a pn-junction is located between said doped upper region and said first implant region; and a second implant region located below said first implant region and having said second type of doping, and wherein a peak in a doping profile of said second type of doping is located in said second implant region.

Abstract: A Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, CMOS, device for radiation detection. The CMOS device includes a semiconductor diffusion layer having a photodetector region for receiving incident light, and a polysilicon layer having a patterned structure in a region at least partially overlapping the photodetector region. The structure includes a plurality of features being perforations extending through the polysilicon layer or columns of polysilicon, wherein the perforations are filled with, or the columns are surrounded by, a dielectric material.

Abstract: A semiconductor imaging apparatus including a light detection device in a silicon substrate, an optical filter arranged to filter light incident on the light detection device and including a gap for allowing unfiltered light to reach the silicon substrate, an isolation structure for stopping light generated charge carriers in the silicon substrate from reaching the light detection device, and a photodiode for detecting the charge carriers.

Abstract: A light sensitive semiconductor structure including a pn-junction in a silicon substrate. The pn-junction includes a central part and an edge part around surrounding the central part, the edge part being in contact with a surface of the silicon substrate. The structure further includes a plasma shielding structure covering at least a depletion width of the pn-junction over at least a part of the edge part where the edge part contacts the surface of the silicon substrate.

Abstract: A semiconductor device for light detection comprises: a photodiode comprising an optical active region; and a resistor connected to said photodiode and overlapping at least a part of said optical active region, wherein the resistor comprising an anti-reflective coating for reducing reflection loss.

Abstract: A dark reference device comprises: a photodiode comprising an optical active area; a light shield configured to prevent light from entering said optical active area, wherein said light shield comprises first and second overlapping metal covers, and wherein each of said metal covers comprises a plurality of openings overlapping said optical active area.

Abstract: An optical sensor including an array of photodiodes having a first and a second photodiode, each having an optical active region and a peripheral region. The sensor further includes a metal layer having a plurality of metal wires located in the peripheral regions of the first and second photodiodes, wherein the first photodiode is connected to a first subset of metal wires of the plurality of metal wires and wherein the second photodiode is connected to a second, different subset of metal wires of the plurality of metal wires.

Abstract: Electrically modulatable photodiode, comprising a substrate having a first and a second p-n junction, a common contact for jointly contacting the p or n dopings of the two p-n junctions, and two further contacts for separately contacting the other doping of the p and n dopings of the two p-n junctions, and a circuit, wherein the circuit is designed to measure a current flow caused by charge carriers which have been generated by impinging radiomagnetic waves in the substrate and which have reached the first further contact, and to switch the second further contact at different times to at least one first and one second switching state, wherein in the first switching state the second further contact is switched to the floating state and in the second switching state a potential is applied, and wherein a blocking voltage applied between the common contact and the first further contact is constant.