Zena Technologies, Inc.

Harvard College

Other

Munib Wober

Young-June Yu

Peter Duane

Kenneth Crozier

Ethan Schonbrun

Kwanyong Seo

Paul Steinvurzel

Yaping Dan

Thomas P H F Wendling

Winnie N Ye

Kenneth B Crozier

Thomas P F H Wendling

Turgut Tut

A nanowire array is described herein. The nanowire array comprises a substrate and a plurality of nanowires extending essentially vertically from the substrate; wherein: each of the nanowires has uniform chemical along its entire length; a refractive index of the nanowires is at least two times of a refractive index of a cladding of the nanowires. This nanowire array is useful as a photodetector, a submicron color filter, a static color display or a dynamic color display.

Light absorption and filtering properties of vertically oriented semiconductor nano wires

An image sensor comprising a substrate and one or more of pixels thereon. The pixels have subpixels therein comprising nanowires sensitive to light of different color. The nanowires are functional to covert light of the colors they are sensitive to into electrical signals.

Full color single pixel including doublet or quadruplet Si nanowires for image sensors

A photovoltaic device operable to convert light to electricity, comprising a substrate, a plurality of structures essentially perpendicular to the substrate, one or more recesses between the structures, each recess having a planar mirror on a bottom wall thereof. The structures have p-n or p-i-n junctions for converting light into electricity. The planar mirrors function as an electrode and can reflect light incident thereon back to the structures to be converted into electricity.

Vertical pillar structured photovoltaic devices with mirrors and optical claddings

An imaging device formed as an active pixel array combining a CMOS fabrication process and a nanowire fabrication process. The pixels in the array may include a single or multiple photogates surrounding the nanowire. The photogates control the potential profile in the nanowire, allowing accumulation of photo-generated charges in the nanowire and transfer of the charges for signal readout. Each pixel may include a readout circuit which may include a reset transistor, charge transfer switch transistor, source follower amplifier, and pixel select transistor. A nanowire is generally structured as a vertical rod on the bulk semiconductor substrate to receive light energy impinging onto the tip of the nanowire. The nanowire may be configured to function as either a photodetector or a waveguide configured to guild the light to the substrate. Light of different wavelengths can be detected using the imaging device.

Active pixel sensor with nanowire structured photodetectors

Photodetector devices and methods for making the photodetector devices are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the device may include a substrate; and one or more core structures, each having one or more shell layers disposed at least on a portion of a sidewall of the core structure. Each of the one or more structures extends substantially perpendicularly from the substrate. Each of the one or more core structures and the one or more shell layers form a Schottky barrier junction or a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MiS) junction.

Vertical pillar structured infrared detector and fabrication method for the same

An embodiment relates to an image sensor comprising (a) a optical pipe comprising a core and a cladding, and (b) a pair of photosensitive elements comprising a central photosensitive element and a peripheral photosensitive element, wherein the central photosensitive element is operably coupled to the core and the peripheral photosensitive element is operably coupled to the cladding, and methods of fabricating and using the same. The image sensor could further comprise a lens structure or an optical coupler or an optical coupler over the optical pipe, wherein the lens structure or the optical coupler or the optical coupler is operably coupled to the optical pipe.

Optical waveguides in image sensors

Described herein is a nanowire array, comprising a substrate, a plurality of fluorescent nanowires extending essentially perpendicularly from the substrate and a reflective layer disposed on the substrate in areas between the fluorescent nanowires; wherein the fluorescent nanowires are operable to fluoresce at a wavelength of a collective mode of the nanowire array.

Nanowire arrays comprising fluorescent nanowires and substrate

Methods, apparatuses, systems, and devices relating to fabricating one or more nanowires are disclosed. One method for fabricating a nanowire includes: selecting a particular wavelength of electromagnetic radiation for absorption for a nanowire; determining a diameter corresponding to the particular wavelength; and fabricating a nanowire having the determined diameter. According to another embodiment, one or more nanowires may be fabricated in an array, each having the same or different determined diameters. An image sensor and method of imaging using such an array are also disclosed.

Methods for fabricating and using nanowires

Color filter array devices and methods of making color filter array devices are disclosed herein. A color filter array may include a substrate having a plurality of pixels thereon, one or more nanowires associated with each of the plurality of pixels, wherein each of the one or more nanowires extends substantially perpendicularly from the substrate, and an optical coupler associated with each of the one or more nanowires. A method of making a color filter array may include, making an array of nanowires, wherein each of the nanowires extend substantially perpendicularly from a substrate, disposing a transparent polymer material to substantially encapsulate the nanowires, removing the nanowires from the substrate, providing a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein a hard polymer substantially covers an image plane of the pixel array, disposing the array of nanowires on the pixel array, and removing the transparent polymer encapsulating the nanowires.

Nanowire structured color filter arrays and fabrication method of the same

Described herein is device configured to be a solar-blind UV detector comprising a substrate; a plurality of pixels; a plurality of nanowires in each of the plurality of pixel, wherein the plurality of nanowires extend essentially perpendicularly from the substrate.

Solar blind ultra violet (UV) detector and fabrication methods of the same

An embodiment relates to a device comprising an optical pipe comprising a core and a cladding, the optical pipe being configured to separate wavelengths of an electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the optical pipe at a selective wavelength through the core and the cladding, wherein the core is configured to be both a channel to transmit the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength and an active element to detect the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength transmitted through the core. Other embodiments relate to a compound light detector.

Vertical waveguides with various functionality on integrated circuits

A photovoltaic device operable to convert light to electricity, comprising a substrate, a plurality of structures essentially perpendicular to the substrate, one or more recesses between the structures, each recess having a planar mirror on a bottom wall thereof and each recess filled with a transparent material. The structures have p-n or p-i-n junctions for converting light into electricity. The planar mirrors function as an electrode and can reflect light incident thereon back to the structures to be converted into electricity.

Nanowire array based solar energy harvesting device

An embodiment relates to a device comprising a substrate having a front side and a back-side, a nanowire disposed on the back-side and an image sensing circuit disposed on the front side, wherein the nanowire is configured to be both a channel to transmit wavelengths up to a selective wavelength and an active element to detect the wavelengths up to the selective wavelength transmitted through the nanowire.

Nanowire photo-detector grown on a back-side illuminated image sensor

An embodiment relates to image sensor comprising one or more nanowires on a substrate of a cavity, the nanowire being configured to transmit a first portion of an electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the sensor, and the substrate that absorbs a second portion of the electromagnetic radiation beam incident on the sensor, wherein the first portion is substantially different from the second portion. The substrate could have a anti-reflective material. The ratio of a diameter of the cavity to a diameter of the nanowire could be at less than about 10.

Growing community of inventors

Topsfield, MA, United States of America

Munib Wober