High-speed GeSn resonance cavity enhanced photodetectors for a 50 Gbps Si-based 2 μm band communication system

Abstract

Expanding the optical communication band is one of the most effective methods of overcoming the nonlinear Shannon capacity limit of single fiber. In this study, GeSn resonance cavity enhanced (RCE) photodetectors (PDs) with an active layer Sn component of 9%–10.8% were designed and fabricated on an SOI substrate. The GeSn RCE PDs present a responsivity of 0.49 A/W at 2 μm and a 3-dB bandwidth of approximately 40 GHz at 2 μm. Consequently, Si-based 2 μm band optical communication with a transmission rate of 50 Gbps was demonstrated by using a GeSn RCE detector. This work demonstrates the considerable potential of the Si-based 2 μm band photonics in future high-speed and high-capacity optical communication.