SOI-LEDs with Carrier Confinement
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Published:2008-08
Issue:
Volume:590
Page:101-116
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ISSN:1662-9752
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Container-title:Materials Science Forum
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language:
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Short-container-title:MSF
Author:
Hoang Tu1,
Holleman Jisk1,
Schmitz Jurriaan1
Abstract
Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology exhibits significant performance advantages over
conventional bulk silicon technology in both electronics and optoelectronics. In this chapter we
present an overview of recent applications on light emission from SOI materials. Particularly, in our
work we used SOI technology to fabricate light emitting diodes (LEDs), which emit around
1130 nm wavelength with an external quantum efficiency of 1.4 × 10−4 at room temperature
(corresponding to an internal quantum efficiency close to 1 %). This is almost two orders of
magnitude higher than reported earlier for SOI LEDs. This large improvement is due to three carrier
confinement mechanisms: geometrical effects, quantum-size effects, and electric field effects. Our
lateral p+/p/n+ structure is powered through two very thin silicon slabs adjacent to the p+/p and n+/p
junction. Such use of thin silicon films aims to reduce the p+ and n+ contact area and to confine the
injected carriers in the central lowly doped p-region. With this approach, we realized an efficient
compact infrared light source with high potential switching speed for on-chip integration
applications.
Publisher
Trans Tech Publications, Ltd.
Subject
Mechanical Engineering,Mechanics of Materials,Condensed Matter Physics,General Materials Science