MicroLED Structure With Etched Vias for High-Speed Data Links
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Lasers are not suitable for short-distance optical communications, such as chip-to-chip communications, due to their narrow linewidth and high threshold current, which limits their modulation speed and efficiency in these applications.
Innovation Solution
The development of a microLED with a p-type layer, n-type layer, and a lightly-doped recombination layer including quantum wells, optimized for high-speed operation, which uses etched vias to increase modulation speed and reduce carrier lifetime, and is designed for intra- and inter-chip communication systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If lasers are used for optical communication, then narrow linewidth and long distance transmission are achieved, but they are not suitable for short-distance chip-to-chip communication due to high threshold current and limited modulation speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the light source from laser to LED, operating in a different regime with lower threshold current and optimized for short-distance communication. The LED structure uses quantum wells and specific doping profiles to achieve high-speed modulation without the high threshold current penalty of lasers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs standard LED technology rather than expensive laser components, making the system more suitable for cost-effective chip-to-chip communication applications where extreme long-distance transmission is not required.
2Speed
If LED structure is optimized for high-speed operation, then modulation speed increases, but carrier lifetime must be reduced which affects device stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the LED structure with quantum wells and specific doping concentrations to reduce carrier lifetime to the picosecond range, enabling high-speed modulation. The quantum well design confines carriers effectively, allowing fast recombination while maintaining stability through controlled material composition and structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces localized quantum wells with specific properties in the active region to create fast recombination centers, while the overall device structure maintains stability through carefully designed contact layers and cladding regions with appropriate properties.
3Reliability
If quantum wells are added to improve recombination efficiency, then quantum efficiency increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates quantum wells as localized regions within the LED structure to enhance recombination efficiency and quantum efficiency, while the rest of the device maintains a relatively simple structure suitable for fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material structures combining different semiconductor layers with specific bandgap properties to form quantum wells, achieving high quantum efficiency through material composition rather than complex geometric structures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The microLED achieves high-speed data transmission with reduced waveguide loss and power consumption, offering superior performance over lasers in short-distance chip-to-chip communications by increasing modulation speed and parallelism, while maintaining high quantum efficiency and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a lightly-doped recombination layer, the recombination layer including at least one quantum well between the p type layer and the n type layer
Implementation Method 2
an optical waveguide optically coupling light from the LED to the detector
Implementation Method 3
a detector for performing optical electrical conversion using the light, the detector for example having an electrical output that is modulated by optical power incident on the detector
Data Source
AI summary
An LED may have structures optimized for speed of operation of the LED. The LED may be a microLED. The LED may have a p-doped region with one or more quantum wells instead of an intrinsic region. The LED may have etched vias therethrough.