Design and manufacture of quantum-confined SI light sources

Abstract

To investigate quantum confinement effects on silicon (Si) light source electroluminescence (EL), nanometre-scale Si finger junctions were manufactured in a fully customized silicon-on-insulator (SOI) production technology. The wafers were manufactured in the cleanroom using an electro-beam pattern generator (EPG). The SOI light source with the highest irradiance emitted about 9 times more optical power around = 850 m than a 0.35 m bulk-CMOS avalanche light-source operating at the same time current. It is shown that the buried oxide (BOX) layer in a SOI process could be used to reflect about 25% of otherwise lost downward-radiated light back up to increase the external power efficiency of SOI light sources.