The advancements in integrated thin-film lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) platform have significantly enhanced the performance of various integrated electro-optic devices, including modulators, external cavity diode lasers, and optical frequency comb generators. Additionally, the development of LNOI has facilitated applications at shorter wavelengths, due to its wide transparency window. The coupling efficiency between laser diodes (LDs) and LN chips is commonly enhanced by designing spot size converters (SSCs). However, achieving high-efficiency SSCs is more challenging at shorter wavelength due to the smaller mode area and the increased confinement of the optical field in LN waveguides. In this study, we present a spot size converter based on hybrid SiN-LN structure, for low-loss light coupling between a III– V gain chip and a LNOI waveguide at 780nm. The parameters of SiN waveguide, LN taper and SiO2 spacing layer has been optimized in order to enhance the matching of effective refractive indices. The entire SSC structure can be fabricated with two steps of photolithography and etching, demonstrating high fabrication tolerance. Simulations indicate that the coupling losses between the output mode of the LD and the fundamental mode of the LN waveguide are 0.41dB/facet for TE mode and 0.55dB/facet for TM mode at a wavelength of 780nm. Our design is intended to offer efficient light coupling from LD to LNOI chips at short wavelength range, characterized by its simple process and high fabrication tolerance.
We demonstrate waveguide Modified Uni-Traveling-Carrier (MUTC) Photodetectors (PDs) to complete optical-tomicrowave conversion. Ultra-high 3-dB bandwidths of 137GHz and 163GHz, high responsivities of 0.32A/W and 0.24A/W, and low dark currents of 3nA and 5nA have been achieved for 5×12μm2 and 5×8μm2 devices, respectively. These PDs demonstrate promising performance for photodetection of high-repetition-rate optical pulses, laying the foundation for the photonic chip-based ultra-stable and low-phase noise microwave generation.
KEYWORDS: Quantum chromodynamics, Transition metals, Quantum efficiency, Absorption, Sensors, Electric field sensors, Doping, Modulation, Quantum wells, Electron transport
This work proposes a novel way to regulate the electron quantum states of quantum cascade detectors (QCDs) by utilizing localized built-in electric field introduced by modulation doping. The mechanism that how the localized built-in electric field influences extraction efficiency is studied by analyzing the quantum transitions in a simplified three-quantum-well model. The calculation results show that, by introducing the localized built-in electric field, a transition energy close to the LO phonon energy can be more easily realized with almost unchanged transition matrix element. The transition matrix element can be enlarged by the localized built-in electric field with almost unchanged transition energy. The calculated extraction efficiency is below 65% for the standard QCD structures without localized built-in electric field, whereas for the structures with localized built-in electric field, the extraction efficiency can reach above 80%. From experimental results, a higher extraction efficiency of photo-generated electrons of 89% is obtained for the proposed QCD structure, comparing with 63% for the standard QCD structure. The peak response wavelengths of two structures are both around 4.5 μm. At temperatures ranging from 40K to 210K, the photocurrents of the structure with localized built-in electric field are over 55% larger than those of the standard structure. To sum up, the localized built-in electric field can be utilized to regulate the electron states besides the layer thickness and material composition of QCDs.
In this paper, we investigate the fabrication of high aspect ratio photonic crystal air holes in AlGaAs materials using general inductively coupled plasma (ICP) dry etching system. We propose dividing the long etching process into multiple short-time etching segments during the ICP etching process, so that there is enough time to exhaust the etch products out from the bottom of the holes before the next etching segment, which is beneficial for deep air hole etching. Simultaneously, a novel method to suppress lateral penetration of holes by in-situ sidewall passivation is proposed, which can be realized by inserting one oxygen plasma treatment between two etching segments. This method also allows the optimization of etch rate to be achieved independent of sidewall passivation. Our experiment results show that the sidewall passivation has a crucial influence on the etched morphology of air holes. Without sidewall passivation, the air holes are lateral penetrated in the middle. While with appropriate oxidation for sidewall passivation, deep air holes with high verticality are obtained. Finally, high-aspect-ratio air holes with a diameter of 130 nm and a depth of over 1.5 μm are successfully manufactured.
A GaN surface emitting laser (SEL) based on angular-symmetry-breaking concentric-ring surface grating (ASB-CRSG) is proposed in this paper. The second-order CRSG located in the p-contact and p-cladding of an EPI wafer of GaN FP laser is adopted to select the radial mode and couple the optical power vertically out of the laser cavity. As the zero-order azimuthal CRSG with a two-lobe far field has the lowest mode loss in the angular-symmetric CRSG, the first-order ASB is adopted by the removal of two circular sections of GaN epitaxial layers to break the angular symmetry of the lasing modes. The simulation results show that degenerate modes in angular-symmetric CRSG have different mode losses with the help of the first-order ASB and the bigger breaking angles of CRSG results to higher loss difference between the first-order and other azimuthal modes. The loss and divergence angle decrease with the increasing area of CRSG, and the deeper CRSG results to the higher out-plane coupling. The first-order azimuthal mode has the lowest mode loss whose value is ~ 84% of that of the second-lowest-loss mode. A single-lobe far-field with a divergence angle of 1.33° in the wavelength of 450nm will be realized by an ASB-CRSG with the diameter of 10.6μm, the breaking angles of 12° and the depth of 325nm. Therefore, the single-mode operation of the first-order azimuthal mode which has a single-lobe far field is expected with the combination of the second-order CRSG and the first-order ASB.
A hybrid integration method of back-illuminated modified uni-traveling carrier photodiode (MUTC-PD) on silicon-oninsulator (SOI) is demonstrated. Compared with the die-to-die bonding of unprocessed III-V die, this hybrid bonding method, implemented by a flip-chip bonding machine, is more convenient and flexible, thus providing a more direct path to utilizing high-speed PDs in integrated microwave photonics on SOI. As a result, the integrated photodetector exhibits a 3-dB bandwidth of 30 GHz, showing no degradation compared with the bandwidth before bonding.
The distributed feedback (DFB) laser is a key component for fiber communication due to its single-mode performance, but it usually requires complex and expensive regrowth after grating definition. The laterally-coupled distributed feedback (LC-DFB) laser has the advantage of a simple fabrication process without epitaxial regrowth, but the LC-DFB laser usually has a low coupling coefficient as the optical feedback is provided by the evanescent field and Fabry-Parot (FP) longitudinal modes arise from the pair of parallel cleaved facets. In this work, a triangular prism etched facet is proposed to suppress the FP longitudinal modes from cleaved facets of a 1.3 μm LC-DFB laser. The length-width ratio of a triangular prism facet is optimized on the compromise between the reflection and length by finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The vertical etched facet with depth of 4 μm and tip curvature of 100 nm and the lateral gratings with depth of 1.8 μm and gap of 200 nm are fabricated by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching with the gas mixtures of Cl2/CH4/Ar and CH4/H2/Ar, respectively. The FP longitudinal modes of the etched-facet laterally-coupled distributed feedback (EF-LC-DFB) laser are effectively suppressed compared to the counterpart of cleaved facets, and the stable single-mode operation of EF-LC-DFB is demonstrated with the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 54.35 dB.
Optical phased arrays (OPAs) are widely used in many applications to realize high-speed optical beam scanning. At present OPAs often suffer from limited scanning range. Here we propose a circular optical phased array (COPA) based on silicon photonics platform. According to our simulations, by positioning the OPA units in a circle and adopting a specific phase distribution, the COPA can realize 360° constant amplitude scanning. In addition, the design of the disk grating coupler, which is the key device of the COPA, is presented. The COPA is believed to have great potential for applications where a wide scanning range is mandatory.
Measurement of carrier lifetime is very important to understand the physics in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), as it builds a link between carrier concentration and excitation power or current density. In this paper, we present our study on optical and electrical characterizations on carrier lifetimes in polar InGaN-based LEDs. First, a carrier rate equation model is proposed to explain the non-exponential nature of time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) decay curves, wherein exciton recombination is replaced by bimolecular recombination, considering the influence of polarization field on electron-hole pairs. Then, nonradiative recombination and radiative recombination coefficients can be deduced from fitting and used to calculate the radiative recombination efficiency. By comparing with the temperature-dependent photoluminescence (TDPL) and power-dependent photoluminescence (PDPL), it is found these three methods provide the consistent results. Second, differential carrier lifetimes depending on injection current are measured in commercial near-ultraviolet (NUV), blue and green LEDs. It is found that carrier lifetime is longer in green one and shorter in NUV one, which is attributed to the influence of polarization-induced quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE). This result implies the carrier density is higher in green LED while lower NUV LED, even the injection current is the same. By ignoring Auger recombination and fitting the efficiency–current and carrier lifetime–current curves simultaneously, the dependence of injection efficiency on carrier concentration in different LED samples are plotted. The NUV LED, which has the shallowest InGaN quantum well, actually exhibits the most serious efficiency droop versus carrier concentration. Then, the approaches to overcome the efficiency droop are discussed.
The high-gain photomultiplier tube (PMT) is the most popular method to detect weak ultra-violet signals which attenuate quickly in atmosphere, although the vacuum tube makes it fragile and difficult to integrate. To overcome the disadvantage of PMT, an AlN/GaN periodically–stacked-structure (PSS) avalanche photodiode (APD) has been proposed, finally achieving good quality of high gain and low excessive noise. As there is a deep г valley only in the conduction band of both GaN and AlN, the electron transfers suffering less scattering and thus becomes easier to obtain the threshold of ionization impact. Because of unipolar ionization in the PSS APD, it works in linear mode. Four prototype devices of 5-period, 10-period, 15-period, and 20-period were fabricated to verify that the gain of APD increases exponentially with period number. And in 20-period device, a recorded high and stable gain of 104 was achieved under constant bias. In addition, it is proved both experimentally and theoretically, that temperature stability on gain is significantly improved in PSS APD. And it is found that the resonant enhancement in interfacial ionization may bring significant enhancement of electron ionization performance. To make further progress in PSS APD, the device structure is investigated by simulation. Both the gain and temperature stability are optimized alternatively by a proper design of periodical thickness and AlN layer occupancy.
The next generation infrared (IR) detection technology demands for very-large-format focal plane arrays (FPAs) with
high performance. Semiconductor up-converters can convert IR photons to near-infrared (NIR) photons, and can be
potential candidates for large-format IR imaging since the mechanical bonding with the read-out circuits can be avoided.
However, previously reported up-converters and corresponding up-conversion systems suffer from low detectivity
because of the trade-off between responsivity and dark current. To solve this issue, a cascade infrared up-converter
(CIUP) is demonstrated in this work. Based on a quantum cascade transport mechanism, high IR responsivity is achieved
while the dark current is maintained fairly low. A 4-μm InGaAs/AlGaAs CIUP has been fabricated, and both the CIUP
and up-conversion system are under background-limited infrared performance (BLIP) regime below 120 K. The upconversion
efficiency is 2.1 mW/W at 3.3 V and 78 K. Taking shot noise as the main noise in the up-conversion system,
the BLIP detectivity of the system is 2.4×109 Jones at 3.3 V and 78 K, higher than the semiconductor up-converters at
similar wavelengths reported so far. To further improve the CIUP performance, an AlInP hole-blocking layer is
introduced taking place of the AlAs layer. AlInP/GaAs has larger valence band discontinuity than AlAs/GaAs, showing
the advantage of tightly confining injected holes into the emission quantum well. By adopting the AlInP hole-blocking
layer, the quantum efficiency and detectivity of the up-conversion system can be enhanced.
We present a three dimensional photonic crystal structure capable of being used as light sources in quantum information system. The band structure and defect mode properties are given. A stochastic method is employed to study the dynamics of the system. Strong Purcell effect is expected to be observed in this structure, which make it an efficient light emitter in quantum information applications.
In this work, a systematic study on the plasma-induced damage on n-type GaN by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching is presented. After n-contact metal formation and annealing, electrical property is evaluated by the I-V characteristics. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurement of etched GaN surfaces is performed to investigate the etching damage on the optical properties of n-type GaN. Investigation of the effect of additive gas RF chuck power on these characteristics has also been carried out. The better etching conditions have been obtained based on these results.
In this article, we report the successful fabrication of high-brightness blue LEDs with InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structures grown by low pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on sapphire substrates. The active region is composed of five pairs of InGaN well and GaN:Si barrier. The epitaxial wafer is processed into mesa diodes by inductively coupled plasma etching technique, with SiO2 deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition as the etching mask. The diode chips are then encapsulated into transparent epoxy to form packaged LEDs. The typcial emitting spectrum of the blue LEDs shows a peak wavelength at 460 nm and a FWHM of 30 nm. The working voltage and output power of blue lEDs shows a peak wavelength at 460 nm and a FWHM of 30 nm. The working voltage and output power of blue LEDs at a forward current of 20 mA are 3.6V and 1.5mW, respectively. The reverse leakage current at 5V was about 5μA , and the wavelength uniformity is 0.25 nm.
The solid-source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE) technology using valved cracker cells is one of the most promising techniques for epitaxial growth of high-quality phosphorus-containing compound semiconductors. This novel technology is transplanted successfully onto a homemade MBE system and is studied roundly. The growth of 1.55-µm-wavelength- range strained and strain-compensated InAsP multiple quantum well (MQW) structures are investigated. A low growth temperature or large V/III flux ratio is found to be favorable for attaining a high structural quality of highly strained MQW structures, and the growth temperature has a critical effect on the sample's optical property. It is also found that an intermediate InP layer of several monolayers, which is inserted between the well and the barrier, is necessary to improve the quality of strain-compensated MQW structures. The measured photoluminescence (PL) fullwidth at half-maximum (FWHM) of 18.7 meV and 17.2 meV for stained and strain-compensated MQW at room temperature are among the best reported to date for 1 .55-µm-wavelength MQW laser structures. Finally, broad-area (BA) separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) MQW lasers are fabricated, and the threshold current density is measured to be 1.4 kA/cm2. This is the first report, to the best of the authors' knowledge, on a 1.55-µm-wavelength-range strained lnAsP / InGaAsP MQW laser structure grown by SSMBE.
In this paper, the growth and device fabrication of AIGaN/GaN HEMTs are investigated by using Metal-Organic Vapor Phase Epi taxy (MOVPE) system. The grown wafer consists of a 3-μm-thick unintentionally doped GaN buffer layer, an undoped AIGaN spacer layer, and a n-doped Al0.28Ga0.72N cap layer. The growth condition and the wafer structure are optimized for high performance devices. The devices exhibit a maximum saturation current density of 1000 mA/mm, good pinch off at -5V gate bias and a peak extrinsic transconductance of 180 mS/mm. Further efforts to improve the device performance are also discussed.
Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) dry etching technique has been adopted to form narrow high-mesa ridge waveguide structure in a high-speed integrated EA modulator. A 3dBe bandwidth of over 12 GHz has been achieved without the use of polyimide in the DFB laser integrated EA modulator. Meanwhile, integrated device with a threshold current as low as 12 mA has been demonstrated by optimization ofthe wavelength detuning.
Low threshold semiconductor lasers with etched facets have been fabricated by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) dry etching technology. To ensure vertical and smooth etched-facets, a novel C12/CH4/Ar mixture has been adopted for the
ICP etching process. The typical threshold current of etched-facet lasers is about 1 8 mA, which is as low as that of lasers with cleaved-facets and similar cavity length.
We report all-solid-source molecular beam epitaxy growth of InP and InGaAsP semiconductor materials using a three- temperature-zone valved cracker cell based upon a homemade MBE system. High quality InP film was grown with surface defect density of 65 cmMIN2 and unintentional doping concentration of 1 X 1016 cm-3. Substrate temperature is found to play an important role on surface morphology, growth rate and p-doping characteristic of the InP epitaxial layer. For InAsyP1-y, incorporation of As with In seems to increase linearly for As fraction less than 0.6, and independent of As flux when As fraction is greater than 0.9. In0.56Ga0.44As0.94P0.06 lattice matched to InP has been grown with low temperature PL spectrum peak at 1507 nm and FWHM of 9.8 meV.
Polarization-sensitivity of electroabsorption (EA) modulators is analyzed by fractional-dimensional approach. Chirping parameter (alpha) is then calculated using Kramers- Kronig relations. It is found that polarization insensitive and negative chirp operation can be realized simultaneously for InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well EA modulators with optimized well width and amount of strain. We propose a polarization insensitive InGaAsP EA modulator with 9 nm wide 0.38% tensile-strained quantum wells. The modulation characteristics remains polarization independent up to 80 kV/cm, corresponding to an extinction ratio of over 15 dB, and the chirping parameter (alpha) is estimated to be around -0.25.
In this talk, we review recent achievements on compound semiconductor based optoelectronic devices in State Key Lab on Integrated Optoelectronics, Tsinghua University. The presentation will cover research work on electroabsorption (EA) modulator integrated distributed feedback (DFB) lasers for wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) systems and the growth of InP based materials by all-solid-source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE) system.
Experimental results of disordering GaAlAs/GaAs MQW under different rapid thermal annealing (RTA) conditions are presented and discussed. Two kinds of novel device structures based on such technique are then proposed and fabricated. First, a laser diode with window regions for high power operation is designed and fabricated. The maximum output power of such a device shows an increase by 18% over laser diodes without window regions. Then a transverse mode controlled laser structure realized using RTA technique. A stable single transverse mode operation is obtained up to 4 times the threshold current.
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