Photodiode Module With Photonic Crystal Diffraction Grating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing photodiodes face challenges in maximizing photoconductive response while using cheaper, lower-quality semiconductor materials, as they often result in reduced response time and increased recombination of optically-generated carriers.
Innovation Solution
A photodiode module is designed with a semiconductor structure and a photonic crystal that includes a diffraction grating to selectively couple light to a dielectric-surface mode, allowing for enhanced light absorption and carrier generation without significant degradation in response time, even with lower-quality materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If lower-quality semiconductor materials are used to reduce fabrication costs, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but response time increases and carrier recombination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a photonic crystal structure as an intermediary component between the incident light and the semiconductor material. This photonic crystal enhances light absorption and carrier generation efficiency, allowing lower-quality semiconductor materials to achieve performance comparable to or better than high-quality materials, thus resolving the contradiction between fabrication cost and response time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the optical parameters of the system by introducing a photonic crystal with specific bandgap properties. This changes the way light interacts with the semiconductor material, enhancing absorption efficiency and carrier generation, which compensates for the inferior quality of the semiconductor material and maintains fast response time despite lower fabrication costs
2Ease of manufacture
If lower-quality semiconductor materials are used to reduce fabrication costs, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but carrier recombination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The photonic crystal acts as an intermediary that enhances light absorption and carrier generation efficiency. By optimizing the optical field distribution and increasing the interaction between light and semiconductor material, it compensates for the high recombination rates inherent in lower-quality materials, thereby reducing net energy loss while maintaining low fabrication costs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining the photonic crystal with the lower-quality semiconductor material. This composite system leverages the optical enhancement properties of the photonic crystal to overcome the detrimental recombination effects of the lower-quality semiconductor, achieving both cost reduction and energy efficiency
3Productivity
If the depletion region width is increased to improve optical efficiency, then light absorption is improved, but response time decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The photonic crystal serves as an intermediary that enhances light absorption through its photonic bandgap effects and increased light-matter interaction. This allows the depletion region to remain relatively thin (maintaining fast response time) while still achieving high optical efficiency through the photonic crystal's optical field enhancement, thus resolving the contradiction between optical efficiency and response time
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 solution enhances the intensity of absorbed light by one to three orders of magnitude, enabling efficient light detection and solar energy conversion using lower-quality semiconductor materials, thereby improving photodiode performance and reducing fabrication costs.
Implementation Method 1
A diffraction grating of the photodiode module may be positioned and configured to selectively couple light incident on the diffraction grating to a dielectric-surface mode associated with the surface of the photonic crystal
Implementation Method 2
Photodiodes are used in a variety of applications for converting light into electrical signals
Implementation Method 3
a photonic crystal having a surface positioned adjacent to the semiconductor structure
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a photodiode module including a structure configured to selectively couple light to a dielectric-surface mode of a photonic crystal of the photodiode module. In one embodiment of the present invention, a photodiode module includes a semiconductor structure having a p-region and an n-region. The photodiode module further includes a photonic crystal having a surface positioned adjacent to the semiconductor structure. A diffraction grating of the photodiode module may be positioned and configured to selectively couple light incident on the diffraction grating to a dielectric-surface mode associated with the surface of the photonic crystal. In another embodiment of the present invention, a photodiode apparatus includes multiple, stacked photodiode modules, each of which is configured to selectively absorb light at a selected wavelength or range of wavelengths.