Photodetectors fabricated on microstructured silicon are reported. The photodetectors exhibited high photoresponse; at 3V bias, the responsivities were 92A∕W at 850nm and 119A∕W at 960nm. At wavelengths longer than 1.1μm, the photodetectors still showed strong photoresponse. A generation-recombination gain mechanism has been proposed to explain the photoresponse of these photodiodes. From measurements of the noise current density, the calculated gain was approximately 1200 at 3V bias.

Microstructured silicon photodetector

Silicon microphotonics, a technology which merges photonics and silicon microelectronic components, is rapidly evolving. Many different fields of application are emerging: transceiver modules for optical communication systems, optical bus systems for ULSI circuits, I/O stages for SOC, displays, .... In this review I will give a brief motivation for silicon microphotonics and try to give the state-of-the-art of this technology. The ingredient still lacking is the silicon laser: a review of the various approaches will be presented. Finally, I will try to draw some conclusions where silicon is predicted to be the material to achieve a full integration of electronic and optical devices.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0953-8984/15/26/201/pdf

Will silicon be the photonic material of the third millenium

Provided herein are skin-mounted biomedical devices and methods of making and using biomedical devices for sensing and actuation applications. For example, flexible and/or stretchable biomedical devices are provided, including electronic devices useful for establishing conformal contact with the skin of a subject. Devices disclosed herein can comprise a plurality of sensing and/or actuating devices provided as part of a skin-mounted flexible or stretchable electronic circuit.

Flexible and Stretchable Electronic Systems for Epidermal Electronics

An overview of recent results on high-speed germanium-on-silicon-on-insulator (Ge-on-SOI) photodetectors and their prospects for integrated optical interconnect applications are presented. The optical properties of Ge and SiGe alloys are described and a review of previous research on SOI and SiGe detectors is provided as a motivation for the Ge-on-SOI detector approach. The photodetector design is described, which consists of lateral alternating p- and n-type surface contacts on an epitaxial Ge absorbing layer grown on an ultrathin-SOI substrate. When operated at a bias voltage of -0.5 V, 10mumtimes10 mum devices have dark current Idark, of only ~10 nA, a value that is nearly independent of finger spacing S, between S=0.3mum and 1.3mum. Detectors with S=1.3mum have external quantum efficiencies eta, of 52% (38%) at lambda=895 nm (850 nm) with corresponding responsivities of 0.38 A/W (0.26 A/W). The wavelength-dependence of eta agrees fairly well with expectations, except at longer wavelengths, where Si up-diffusion into the Ge absorbing layer reduces the efficiency. Detectors with 10 mumtimes10 mum area and S=0.6mum have -3-dB bandwidths as high as 29 GHz, and can simultaneously achieve a bandwidth of 27 GHz with Idark=24 nA, at a bias of only -1 V, while maintaining high efficiency of eta=46%(33%), at lambda=895 nm (850 nm). Analysis of the finger spacing and area-dependence of the device speed indicates that the performance at large finger spacing is transit-time-limited, while at small finger spacing, RC delays limit the bandwidth. Methods to improve the device performance are presented, and it is shown that significant improvement in the speed and efficiency both at lambda=850 and 1300 nm can be expected by optimizing the layer structure design

/pdf/germanium-on-soi-infrared-detectors-for-integrated-photonic-4lid640hg4.pdf

Germanium-on-SOI Infrared Detectors for Integrated Photonic Applications

Disclosed are appendage mountable electronic systems and related methods for covering and conforming to an appendage surface. A flexible or stretchable substrate has an inner surface for receiving an appendage, including an appendage having a curved surface, and an opposed outer surface that is accessible to external surfaces. A stretchable or flexible electronic device is supported by the substrate inner and/or outer surface, depending on the application of interest. The electronic device in combination with the substrate provides a net bending stiffness to facilitate conformal contact between the inner surface and a surface of the appendage provided within the enclosure. In an aspect, the system is capable of surface flipping without adversely impacting electronic device functionality, such as electronic devices comprising arrays of sensors, actuators, or both sensors and actuators.

Appendage Mountable Electronic Devices COnformable to Surfaces

A monolithically integrated silicon optical receiver fabricated in a 130-nm unmodified complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process flow on 2-/spl mu/m-thick silicon-on-insulator substrates is reported. The quantum efficiency of the photodetectors was /spl sim/10 % at 850 nm. Sensitivities of -19, -16.6, -15.4, and -10.9 dBm were obtained for bit rates of 1, 2, 3.125, and 5 Gb/s, respectively, at a bit-error rate of 10/sup -9/. Operation up to 8 Gb/s was achieved. The transimpedance gain of the receivers was in the range 46.3 dB to 31 dB /spl Omega/, and the total dissipated power was between 10 and 35 mW depending on the circuit design.

High-speed monolithically integrated silicon optical receiver fabricated in 130-nm CMOS technology

We report high-speed planar silicon p-i-n photodiodes fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. The devices were fabricated in standard CMOS technology with no additional fabrication steps required. The 250-nm finger-spacing devices exhibited 15- and 8-GHz bandwidths for devices processed on 200- and 2000-nm SOI substrates, respectively, at a reverse bias of -9 V. Quantum efficiencies of 12% and 2% were measured on the 2- and 0.2-/spl mu/m thick SOI, respectively. The dark current was 5 pA for -3 V bias and 500 /spl mu/A for -9 V bias.

CMOS-compatible high-speed planar silicon photodiodes fabricated on SOI substrates

A complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) monolithically integrated photoreceiver is presented. The circuit was fabricated in a 130-nm unmodified CMOS process flow on 2-/spl mu/m-thick silicon-on-insulator substrates. The receiver operated at 8 Gb/s with 2-dBm average input optical power and a bit error rate of less than 10/sup -9/. The integrated lateral p-i-n photodetector was simultaneously realized with the amplifier and had a responsivity of 0.07 A/W at 850 nm. The measured receiver sensitivities at 5, 3.125, 2, and 1 Gb/s, were -10.9, -15.4, -16.5, and -19 dBm, respectively. A 3-V single-supply operation was possible at bit rates up to 3.125 Gb/s. The transimpedance gain of the receivers was in the range 53.4-31 dB/spl Omega/. The circuit dissipated total power between 10 mW and 35 mW, depending on the design.

High-speed monolithically integrated silicon photoreceivers fabricated in 130-nm CMOS technology

We have presented a high-speed monolithically integrated optical receiver fabricated in an unmodified 130 nm CMOS process. The receiver operated with BER<10/sup -9/ up to 8 Gb/s with a sensitivity of -10.9 dBm at 5 Gb/s and -15.4 dBm at 3.125 Gb/s. Single voltage supply (3 V) was possible up to 3.125 Gb/s and at 5 V up to 5 Gb/s. Deeper electrodes can improve performance of the photodetector reducing the reverse bias necessary for high sensitivity high speed operation. This is the highest speed operation reported for any Si-based optical receiver.

W.E. Wu

Papers

High-speed monolithically integrated silicon optical receiver fabricated in 130-nm CMOS technology

CMOS-compatible high-speed planar silicon photodiodes fabricated on SOI substrates

High-speed monolithically integrated silicon photoreceivers fabricated in 130-nm CMOS technology

8 Gb/s CMOS compatible monolithically integrated silicon optical receiver