The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 23, 2017
Filed:
Sep. 19, 2016
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
James Andrew Robert Dimmock, Oxford, GB;
Matthias Kauer, Oxford, GB;
Nicholas J. Ekins-Daukes, London, GB;
Paul N. Stavrinou, London, GB;
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A semiconductor device has a layered structure. The semiconductor device includes a metallic layer of thickness 1-100 nm, with a thickness optimized to absorb light in a wavelength range of operation. The device further includes an adjacent semiconductor layer additionally adjacent to an ohmic electrical contact, wherein the interface between the metallic layer and the semiconductor layer is electrically rectifying and energy selective. The device further includes a reflective back surface positioned opposite to the semiconductor layer relative to incident light providing broadband reflection in the wavelength range of operation. The semiconductor layer includes a quantum well adjacent to the metallic layer, wherein the energy selectivity is provided by the quantum well allowing charge carrier tunneling from the metallic layer. The device further may include an additional anti-reflection dielectric layer deposited on the metallic layer that is configured to minimize reflection of light in the wavelength range of operation.