Three-terminal optoelectronic components with improved matching of electric field and photocurrent density

Abstract

A three-terminal avalanche photodiode provides a first controllable voltage drop across a light absorption region and a second independently controllable voltage drop across a photocurrent amplification region. The composition of the absorption region and the amplification region can be optimized independently of each other. In the enlarged region, the p-doped structure and the n-doped structure are offset from each other in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Applying a voltage directly across the controlled region of the photocurrent path increases the avalanche gain by shaping the electric field to overlap the photocurrent density. The resulting high-gain, low-bias avalanche photodiodes can be fabricated in integrated optical circuits using commercial CMOS processes, operated from power supplies commonly used in mature computer architectures, and used for optical interconnects, light sensing, and other applications.

Description

technical field [0001] The present disclosure generally relates to avalanche photodiodes, computing devices, and methods for fabricating optoelectronic components. Background technique [0002] In the field of optoelectronics, integrated optical circuits or subassemblies can be designed to replace their electronic counterparts in computing devices, signal processing devices, and other devices. The cost of fabricating large-scale optical circuits, especially silicon photonic devices, has decreased significantly in recent years. However, all-optical devices may still not be practical for some applications. In some devices, high-speed and / or broadband optics can be strategically combined with low-power or low-cost electronics. Photodetectors, which convert optical signals to electrical signals, play a key role at the interface between optical and electronic components. [0003] Optical signal levels in integrated optical circuits can be very low. First, light sources are ty...

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Problems solved by technology

Second, some of the source light may be lost in waveguides and other optics in the circuit

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