BiCMOS-integrated photodiode exploiting drift enhancement

Abstract

A vertical pin photodiode with a thick intrinsic layer is integrated in a 0.5-μm BiCMOS process. The reverse bias of the photodiode can be increased far above the circuit supply voltage, enabling a high-drift velocity. Therefore, a highly efficient and very fast photodiode is achieved. Rise/fall times down to 94 ps/141 ps at a bias of 17 V were measured for a wavelength of 660 nm. The bandwidth was increased from 1.1 GHz at 3 V to 2.9 GHz at 17 V due to the drift enhancement. A quantum efficiency of 85% with a 660-nm light was verified. The technological measures to avoid negative effects on an NPN transistor due to the Kirk effect caused by the low-doped I-layer epitaxy are described. With a high-energy collector implant, the NPN transit frequency is held above 20 GHz. CMOS devices are unaffected. This photodiode is suitable for a wide variety of high-sensitivity optical sensor applications, for optical communications, for fiber-in-the-home applications, and for optical interconnects.