Abstract: In one aspect, the present invention provides a silicon photodetector having a surface layer that is doped with sulfur inclusions with an average concentration in a range of about 0.5 atom percent to about 1.5 atom percent. The surface layer forms a diode junction with an underlying portion of the substrate. A plurality of electrical contacts allow application of a reverse bias voltage to the junction in order to facilitate generation of an electrical signal, e.g., a photocurrent, in response to irradiation of the surface layer. The photodetector exhibits a responsivity greater than about 1 A/W for incident wavelengths in a range of about 250 nm to about 1050 nm, and a responsivity greater than about 0.1 A/W for longer wavelengths, e.g., up to about 3.5 microns.

Abstract: Methods and systems for absorbing infrared light, and for emitting current are described. A sample, such as a sample containing mainly silicon, is microstructured by at least one laser pulse to produce cone-like structures on the exposed surface. Such microstructuring enhances the infrared absorbing, and current emission properties of the sample.

Abstract: Thermal 3-D microstructuring of photonic structures is provided by depositing laser energy by non-linear absorption into a focal volume about each point of a substrate to be micromachined at a rate greater than the rate that it diffuses thereout to produce a point source of heat in a region of the bulk larger than the focal volume about each point that structurally alters the region of the bulk larger than the focal volume about each point, and by dragging the point source of heat thereby provided point-to-point along any linear and non-linear path to fabricate photonic structures in the bulk of the substrate. Exemplary optical waveguides and optical beamsplitters are thermally micromachined in 3-D in the bulk of a glass substrate. The total number of pulses incident to each point is controlled, either by varying the rate that the point source of heat is scanned point-to-point and/or by varying the repetition rate of the laser, to select the mode supported by the waveguide or beamsplitter to be micromachined.