A semiconductor device contains a photodiode which has a plurality of p-n junctions disposed in a stack. Two contact structures on the semiconductor device are connected across at least one of the junctions to allow electrical connection to an external detection circuit, so that signal current from incident light on the photodiode which generates electron-hole pairs across the connected junction may be sensed by the external detection circuit. At least one of the junctions is electrically shorted at the semiconductor device, so that signal current from the shorted junction may not be sensed by the external detection circuit.