Patent ID: 7687402

Claim:
A method of forming and utilizing an optoelectronic device, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a first electrode over the substrate; forming a first layer of semiconductor material over the first electrode, the first layer of semiconductor material being heavily-doped semiconductor material; forming a second layer of semiconductor material over the first layer of semiconductor material; to the extent that the second layer of semiconductor material comprises any dopant, the second semiconductor layer having a lower concentration of dopant than the first layer of semiconductor material; forming a layer of silicon-enriched insulator over the second layer of semiconductor material; the silicon-enriched insulator comprising one or both of silicon-enriched silicon oxide and silicon-enriched silicon nitride; forming a second electrode over a first portion of the layer of silicon-enriched insulator; the second electrode being formed to have at least one window extending therethrough to a second portion of the layer of silicon-enriched insulator; passing electromagnetic radiation through the window to form electron-hole pairs within the second layer of semiconductor material; and detecting the electron-hole pairs to thereby detect the electromagnetic radiation.