This disclosure describes one-chip micro-integrated optoelectronic sensors
and methods for fabricating and using the same. The sensors may include an
optical emission source, optical filter and a photodetector fabricated on
the same transparent substrate using the same technological processes.
Optical emission may occur when a bias voltage is applied across a
metal-insulator-semiconductor Schottky contact or a p-n junction. The
photodetector may be a Schottky contact or a p-n junction in a
semiconductor. Some sensors can be fabricated on optically transparent
substrate and employ back-side illumination. In the other sensors
provided, the substrate is not transparent and emission occurs from the
edge of a p-n junction or through a transparent electrode. The sensors may
be used to measure optical absorption, optical reflection, scattering or
fluorescence. The sensors may be fabricated and operated to provide a
selected spectrum of light emitted and a multi-quantum well
heterostructure may be fabricated to filter light reaching the
photodetector.
