학술논문

Self-Organized Germanium Quantum Dots/Si3N4 Enabling Monolithic Integration of Top Si3N4-Waveguided Microdisk Light Emitters and p-i-n Photodetectors for On-Chip Sensing
Document Type
Periodical
Source
IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices IEEE Trans. Electron Devices Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on. 70(4):2113-2120 Apr, 2023
Subject
Components, Circuits, Devices and Systems
Engineered Materials, Dielectrics and Plasmas
Germanium
Silicon
PIN photodiodes
Light emitting diodes
Plasmas
Optical waveguides
Monolithic integrated circuits
Ge
microdisks
photodiodes (PDs)
quantum dot (QD)
top-Si3N4 waveguides (WGs)
Language
ISSN
0018-9383
1557-9646
Abstract
Using a coordinated combination of lithographic patterning and self-assembled growth, Ge spherical quantum dots (QDs) were controllably generated within host layers of Si3N4 as active medium for Si photonics. A significant fabrication advantage of our approach is the high-temperature thermal stability of Ge QDs that are formed by thermal oxidation of poly-SiGe lithographically patterned structures at 800 °C–900 °C, offering flexibility in the waveguide (WG)-material choices, co- design, and integration of Ge photonic devices. Our Ge QDs enable monolithic integration of microdisk light emitters and p-i-n photodetectors (PDs) with top-Si3N4 WG-coupled structures using standard Si processing. Low dark current of 0.3 mA/cm2 at 300 K and $0.2\,\mu \text{A}$ /cm2 at 77 K in combination with 3-dB frequency of 12 GHz for Ge-QD PDs and low threshold power of 0.6 kW/cm2 for optically pumped Ge QD/SiN microdisks light emission evidence the high degree of crystallinity of our Ge QDs being an effective building block for 3-D SiN photonic integrated circuits.