Advanced Column-IV Epitaxial Materials for Silicon-Based Optoelectronics

Abstract

Over the past decade or so, research in silicon-based heterostructures has evolved from a few seminal publications on the growth and physical properties of Si1−xGex heteroepitaxial layers to a technology currently entering large-scale commercial production for heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). During this period, extensive work has taken place on the optoelectronic applications of Si/Si1−x Gex such as 1.3–1.55 μam detectors for optical communication, 2–12-μm infrared detectors for two-dimensional (2D) focal plane arrays for night vision and thermal imaging, and infrared emitters for chip-to-chip optical communication as well as waveguiding and modulators. The overall goal of this work has been to merge optoelectronic functionality with the very large-scale-integration and electronic signal processing capabilities of silicon to create a silicon-based “superchip.”