Analysis of high-confinement SiGe/Si waveguides for silicon-based optoelectronics

Abstract

We analyze theoretically the feasibility of what we believe to be a novel two-dimensional SiGe/Si strained-layer waveguide. The new geometry can be grown by selective epitaxy and has loosened cutoff and critical-thickness restrictions. This geometry could be applied for waveguide-active devices such as LED’s, photodetectors, and modulators. Owing to the high cross section of the guided mode, these devices could be easily interfaced in practice with optical fibers.