Resonant Photodetector Research Articles

Single-mode waveguide-coupled light emitting diodes in unmodified silicon photonics fabrication processes

We realize single-mode, waveguide-coupled, electrically driven silicon light emitting diodes in commercial, unmodified silicon photonics foundry processes and develop a model of both the electrical and optical behavior to understand the performance limitations. We measure a center wavelength of 1130 nm, a 90 nm 3 dB optical bandwidth, and 200 pW of optical power propagating in each direction. We show on-chip modulation and detection of the generated light using native resonant photodetectors integrated in the same chip. Our work unveils a new native light source available in silicon photonics processes, which can find applications ranging from device screening and fabrication quality assessment to imaging, refractive index sensing, or intra-chip communication.

Speed limitations of resonant tunneling diode-based photodetectors.

In this work, we study multiple epitaxial layer structures incorporating a resonant tunneling diode photodetector utilizing the In0.53Ga0.47As/InP material system for operation at the near-infrared region of 1.55 and 1.31 micrometers. We study the photodetection speed of response for these devices and the physical limitations affecting their bandwidth. We show that resonant tunneling diode-based photodetectors have bandwidth limitations due to the charge accumulation near the barriers and report on an operating bandwidth reaching up to 1.75 GHz in particular structures, which is the highest number reported for such detectors to the authors' best knowledge.

20 MHz resonant photodetector for the homodyne measurement of picosecond pulsed squeezed light

A high-performance resonant balanced homodyne detector is a key element for the measurement of picosecond pulsed squeezed light, which is an important quantum resource in quantum-enhanced microscopic imaging. In this paper, we design and demonstrate a resonant photodetector for homodyne measurement with a maximum signal-to-noise ratio of 22.42 dB at resonant frequency of 20 MHz. Using this detector to pulsed regime, a maximum signal-to-noise ratio at resonant frequency is 10.02 dB, where a 40 dB subtraction capability at 80 MHz repetition rate of pulsed laser is obtained. With this design, the quantum noise of picosecond pulsed squeezed light is measured and the best squeezing level −1.7 dB below the shot noise level is clearly observed at 20 MHz.

Resonant electro-optic phase modulator and photodetector for stabilizing laser frequency and quantum optics

Photoelectric functional device with specific optical, electrical and photoelectric conversion effects is one of the most important resources of modern information science and technology. Electro-optic modulator and photodetector are very important photoelectric functional devices, which are key devices in the fields of frequency locking, feedback control, photoelectric information conversion, optical communication, photoelectric information modulation, etc., and play an irreplaceable role in frequency stabilization locking technology of PDH (Pound-Drever-Hall, simply referred to as PDH). The PDH technology is widely used in researches of large scientific devices, quantum optics, optical communication and other fields. Using electro-optical phase modulator to carry out laser phase modulation is the primary process to realize frequency stabilization locking of standard PDH. Photoelectric detection can implement the photoelectric conversion of the carried weak modulation signal and spectral peak signal into electrical signal, and then feedback control through proportional integral and differential circuits, so as to achieve stable locking and frequency stabilization. The resonant electro-optical phase modulation (RPM) with high modulation depth, low power consumption and low half-wave voltage and microwatt resonant photoelectric detection (RPD) functional device with high signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio are invented to meet the demand for extraction and detection of extremely weak signals. The resonant circuit is composed of the single-end wedge-angle lithium niobate crystal, low noise photodiode and low-loss and high-Q electronic components. Low power consumption, high modulation depth electro-optic modulation, and high gain photoelectric detection are realized by the principle of resonant enhancement. When the optimal modulation frequency point is 10 MHz, the bandwidth of RPM is 225 kHz with <i>Q</i> of 44.4, when the modulation depth is 1.435, the RPM requires RF drive voltage of RPM to be 4 V. When the optimal modulation frequency point is 20 MHz, the bandwidth of RPM is 460 kHz with <i>Q</i> of 43.5, the required RF drive voltage of RPM is 6.5 V when the modulation depth is 1.435. The optimal detection frequency point of the self-invent RPD is 20.00 MHz, with a bandwidth of 1 MHz, Q of 20, the gain of 80 dB at 100 μW. With the home-made RPM and RPD in the extraction loop for extremely weak signal, the SNR of error signal is as high as 5.088 at 10 μW, 34.933 at 50 μW and 58.7 at 100 μW. Such a loop improves the performance and stability of the entire feedback control loop by optimizing parameters of proportional integral differential, which provides key devices and technological approaches for preparing a highly stable quantum light source and ultra-stable laser.

Integrated Resonant Photodetector with High Signal-to-Noise Ratio

Integrated Resonant Photodetector with High Signal-to-Noise Ratio

A PDTPQx: PC61BM blend with pronounced charge-transfer absorption for organic resonant cavity photodetectors–direct arylation polymerization vs. Stille polycondensation

A PDTPQx: PC61BM blend with pronounced charge-transfer absorption for organic resonant cavity photodetectors–direct arylation polymerization vs. Stille polycondensation

A PDTPQx: PC61BM blend with pronounced charge-transfer absorption for organic resonant cavity photodetectors–direct arylation polymerization vs. Stille polycondensation

A PDTPQx: PC61BM blend with pronounced charge-transfer absorption for organic resonant cavity photodetectors–direct arylation polymerization vs. Stille polycondensation

Resonant Tunneling Diodes: Mid-Infrared Sensing at Room Temperature.

Resonant tunneling diode photodetectors appear to be promising architectures with a simple design for mid-infrared sensing operations at room temperature. We fabricated resonant tunneling devices with GaInAsSb absorbers that allow operation in the μm range with significant electrical responsivity of 0.97 A/W at 2004 nm to optical readout. This paper characterizes the photosensor response contrasting different operational regimes and offering a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the main physical ingredients that rule the sensor functionalities and affect its performance. We demonstrate how the drift, accumulation, and escape efficiencies of photogenerated carriers influence the electrostatic modulation of the sensor’s electrical response and how they allow controlling the device’s sensing abilities.

A PDTPQx:PC61BM blend with pronounced charge-transfer absorption for organic resonant cavity photodetectors – direct arylation polymerization vs. Stille polycondensation

Because of their intriguing properties for optoelectronic applications, research on organic semiconducting polymers has steadily progressed over the past decades, yielding increasingly fine-tuned (hetero)aromatic polymer backbones. In this work, the push-pull copolymer PDTPQx is synthesized, both via Stille polycondensation and direct arylation polymerization (DArP), permitting comparison of the two procedures. Near-infrared organic photodetectors (OPDs) are constructed based on these different polymer batches in combination with PC61BM, and their performance was investigated. From the current-voltage characteristics, it is clear that the DArP polymer-based devices outperform those prepared from the Stille polymers, both in terms of dark current density and external quantum efficiency (EQE), and therefore in terms of specific detectivity as well. The relatively high highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of PDTPQx, in combination with the clear charge-transfer absorption band observed for the DArP-based device, is beneficial for application in organic resonant cavity photodetectors. Such OPDs are prepared for the DArP PDTPQx:PC61BM (1:4) blends with 180 and 210 nm thick bulk heterojunction active layers. EQEs of 2.5% at 1016 nm and 1% at 1140 nm are achieved, with full-width-at-half-maximum peak responses of 44 and 45 nm, respectively, and detectivities of 2.24 × 1010 and 1.06 × 1010 Jones.

Resonant nanocavity-enhanced graphene photodetectors on reflecting silicon-on-insulator wafers

The weak light absorption and zero-bandgap properties of two-dimensional graphene negatively affect electron–hole recombination and quantum yield, restricting its usefulness in practical optoelectronic applications. In this work, plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition is used to synthesize three-dimensional graphene (3D-graphene) in situ on the surface of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, thereby creating high-performance broadband photodetectors. The nanocavity structure of the 3D-graphene integrates with the optical cavity structure of the SOI to enhance the interaction that occurs between the 3D-graphene and incident light. The resulting device has excellent performance in the near-infrared (NIR). The mechanism by which the light absorption of the photodetector is enhanced is explored in detail via experimental analysis and theoretical calculation. Photodetectors based on the 3D-graphene/SOI Schottky heterojunction exhibit a broad detection range (from 440 to 1550 nm), ultrahigh responsivity (27.4 A/W), and excellent detectivity (1.37 × 1011 Jones) at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The Schottky heterojunctions combine two structures (nanocavity and optical cavity) that enhance light absorption. They are also compatible with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, providing a strategy for manufacturing high-performance NIR photodetectors.

Demonstration of atomic force microscopy imaging using an integrated opto-electro-mechanical transducer

The low throughput of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the main drawback in its large-scale deployment in industrial metrology. A promising solution would be based on the parallelization of the scanning probe system, allowing acquisition of the image by an array of probes operating simultaneously. A key step for reaching this goal relies on the miniaturization and integration of the sensing mechanism. Here, we demonstrate AFM imaging employing an on-chip displacement sensor, based on a photonic crystal cavity, combined with an integrated photodetector and coupled to an on-chip waveguide. This fully-integrated sensor allows high-sensitivity and high-resolution in a very small footprint and its readout is compatible with current commercial AFM systems.

Design and calculation of type-II superlattice resonant cavity-enhanced photodetector with high quantum efficiency and low dark current

The type-II superlattice (T2SLs) infrared detector with distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) on the basis of unipolar barrier structure is investigated. The traditional binary material InAs/GaSb is used in the device, and two kinds of unipolar barrier structures, nBn and pBp, are used to reduce the generation-recombination (GR) dark current of the device. 6 periods of AlAs0.09Sb0.91/GaSb is selected as the DBR mirror. The target wavelength of DBR mirror is 3.3 μm, which is used as methane detector. The supercell is 7 ML InAs/4 ML GaSb, which has a 50% cutoff wavelength of 4 μm. The quantum efficiency (QE) of the detector with DBR mirror can reach ~ 90% at the target wavelength of 3.3 μm, and is significantly higher than that of the device without DBR mirror. The peak detectivity of pBp RCE PD is about ~1 × 1013 Jones.

III-Nitrides Resonant Cavity Photodetector Devices.

III-nitride resonant cavity-enhanced Schottky barrier photodetectors were fabricated on 2 µm thick GaN templates by radio frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The optical cavity was formed by a bottom distributed Bragg reflector based on 10 periods of Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN, an Au-based Schottky contact as top mirror, and an active zone of 40 nm-thick GaN layer. The devices were fabricated with planar geometry. To evaluate the main benefits allowed by the optical cavity, conventional Schottky photodetectors were also processed. The results revealed a planar spectral response for the conventional photodetector, unlike the resonant devices that showed two raised peaks at 330 and 358 nm with responsivities of 0.34 and 0.39 mA/W, respectively. Both values were 80 times higher than the planar response of the conventional device. These results demonstrate the strong effect of the optical cavity to achieve the desired wavelength selectivity and to enhance the optical field thanks to the light resonance into the optical cavity. The research of such a combination of nitride-based Bragg mirror and thin active layer is the kernel of the present paper.

Realization of ultralow power phase locking by optimizing Q factor of resonant photodetector* *Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 62027821, 11654002, 11874250, and 11804207), the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFA0301401), the Key R&D Program of Shanxi, China (Grant No. 201903D111001), the Program for Sanjin Scholar of Shanxi Province, the Program

We design and construct a resonant photodetector (RPD) with a Q factor of 320.83 at the resonant frequency of 38.5 MHz on the basis of a theoretical analysis. Compared with the existing RPD under the same conditions, the signal-to-noise-ratio of the error signal is increased by 15 dB and the minimum operation power is reduced from −55 dBm to −70 dBm. By comparing the standard deviations of the stability curves, we confirm that the RPD has a dramatic improvement on ultralow power extraction. In virtue of the RPD, we have completed the demonstration of channel multiplexing quantum communication.

A superlattice-based resonant cavity-enhanced photodetector operating in the long-wavelength infrared

The design, fabrication, and characterization of a resonant cavity-enhanced photodetector (RCE PD) operating in the long-wavelength infrared regime are demonstrated. The incorporation of the low bandgap InAs/InAs0.70Sb0.30 type-II strained-layer superlattice into the absorber layer of the detector cavity, along with the high-reflectivity (Rm > 0.9) AlAs0.08Sb0.92/GaSb distributed Bragg reflector pairs, results in resonant enhancement at 7.7–7.8 μm, which is a spectral region relevant in applications in sensing of chemical warfare agents and in medical biomarker diagnostics. These resonant wavelength peaks also display a high quality factor in the range of 76–86 and a small temperature coefficient of 0.52 nm K−1. An nBn architecture, where an Al0.71Ga0.29As0.08Sb0.92 layer acts as a barrier for majority electrons while minimizing the valence band offset with the absorber, is also incorporated into the cavity in order to improve the electrical properties of the detector. Spectral response measurements yield a peak external quantum efficiency of 14.6% and a peak responsivity of 0.91 A W−1 at 77 K and −0.8 V; meanwhile, a dark current density of 2.0 × 10−4 A cm−2 at 77 K results in a specific detectivity of 3.7 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W−1, coming close to the theoretical background-limited D* of an ideal broadband photovoltaic detector with the superlattice composition as that of the RCE PD.

Resonant cavity-enhanced photodetector incorporating a type-II superlattice to extend MWIR sensitivity.

Mid-infrared resonant cavity-enhanced photodetectors (RCE PD) present a promising technology for targeted gas detection. We demonstrate an RCE PD incorporating an InAs/InAsSb superlattice as the detecting element, extending the resonant wavelength beyond 4 µm. AlAsSb/GaSb mirrors and a unipolar barrier active region paralleling an nBn structure are also used, and performance is compared to a conventional broadband nBn detector incorporating the same superlattice. The RCE PD exhibited a Q-factor of ∼90 and an extremely stable resonance wavelength. Peak responsivity was 3.0 A W-1 at 240 K, equalling 84% quantum efficiency, a 5.5 times increase over the reference nBn at the same wavelength. Dark current density was 3.3×10-2 A cm-2 at 240 K, falling to 2.7×10-4 A cm-2 at 180 K. The broadband BLIP limit is approached at 180 K with specific detectivity of 2.1×1011 cm Hz1/2 W-1, which presents the potential of achieving BLIP-limited operation in the thermoelectric cooling regime.

A Differential Optical Receiver With Monolithic Split-Microring Photodetector

This paper presents a high-sensitivity, fully differential (FD) optical receiver (RX) for high-density system-on-chip applications. The high digital activity prominent in such applications creates common-mode and power-supply noise, which degrades the optical RX sensitivity. To suppress these noise sources and enhance the RX sensitivity, an optical RX is proposed that realizes FD operation by using a new resonant split-microring photodetector. The complete RX is implemented in a 45-nm SOI CMOS with no process changes. When aptly biased, the detector outputs FD photocurrent with $\mu \text{A}_{\mathrm {pp}}$ without reducing the bandwidth or significantly impacting the RX energy efficiency.

Resonant tunneling diode photodetectors for optical communications

AbstractOptical modulation characteristics of resonant tunneling diode photodetectors (RTD‐PD) are investigated. Intensity modulated light excites the RTD‐PDs to conduct data experiments. Simple and complex data patterns are used with results showing data rates up to 80 and 200 Mbit/s, respectively. This is the first demonstration of complex modulation using resonant tunneling diodes.

Monolithic vertical integration of VCSEL and RCEPD for bidirectional optical interconnects

In this letter, we demonstrate the monolithic vertical integration of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with resonant cavity enhancement photodetector (RCEPD) for the application to bidirectional optical interconnect. Based on the optimal designed structure, the monolithic integrated device can realize optical decoupling and electrical isolation between its VCSEL unit and RCEPD unit. The VCSEL unit exhibits a threshold current of 1.65 mA, a slope efficiency of 0.58 W/A and 3 dB bandwidth of 12.8 GHz. Regarding the RCEPD unit, the width of its absorption quantum efficiency spectrum is 8 nm with a quantum efficiency of higher than 50%. The 3 dB response bandwidth of the RCEPD unit can be up to 65.7 GHz.

500 MHz resonant photodetector for high-quantum-efficiency, low-noise homodyne measurement.

We design and demonstrate a resonant-type differential photodetector for a low-noise quantum homodyne measurement at 500 MHz optical sideband with 17 MHz of bandwidth. By using a microwave monolithic amplifier and a discrete voltage buffer circuit, a low-noise voltage amplifier is realized and applied to our detector. 12 dB of signal-to-noise ratio of the shot noise to the electric noise is obtained with 5 mW of a continuous-wave local oscillator. We analyze the frequency response and the noise characteristics of a resonant photodetector, and the theoretical model agrees with the shot noise measurement.