Performance of GaAs smart pixel components before and after monolithic integration of InGaP LEDs using Epitaxy-on-Electronics technology

Abstract

Smart pixel technology provides the ability to integrate complex electronic circuitry with optoelectronic devices to produce signal processing capabilities previously unattainable with a single technology. Epitaxy-on-Electronics (EoE) is a process by which optoelectronic devices are monolithically integrated with electronic circuitry in a common semiconductor material. Here, InGaP LEDs are integrated with GaAs electronic circuitry to produce smart pixel arrays. In this paper, the architecture and experimental characterization of the optical devices of a novel smart pixel implementation of an neural network are presented. Measured performance characteristics are presented for the detectors and LEDs, before and after the EoE process. The experimental results demonstrate limitations in the performance of the detectors and LEDs for use in a full-scale implementation, however, current ongoing improvements in the EoE technology show promise to eliminate these limitations.