Tensile strained semiconductor photon emission and detection devices and integrated photonics system
AssigneeAcorn Semi, LLC
InventorsPaul A. Clifton, Andreas Goebel, R. Stockton Gaines
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Tensile strained germanium is provided that can be sufficiently strained to provide a nearly direct band gap material or a direct band gap material. Compressively stressed or tensile stressed stressor materials in contact with germanium regions induce uniaxial or biaxial tensile strain in the germanium regions. Stressor materials may include silicon nitride or silicon germanium. The resulting strained germanium structure can be used to emit or detect photons including, for example, generating photons within a resonant cavity to provide a laser.
Claims21
A method of making an optical device, comprising:
- providing a substrate having a layer that includes germanium;
- etching openings into the layer that includes germanium;
- and forming silicon germanium within the openings to form a pattern of embedded silicon germanium regions surrounding at least one portion of the layer that includes germanium, and the at least one portion of the layer that includes germanium having in-plane biaxial tensile strain.
A method of communicating data, comprising coupling an electrical signal into an optical device comprising a first strained semiconductor portion of a semiconductor substrate to generate a responsive optical signal, transmitting the responsive optical signal through a waveguide comprising a first unstrained semiconductor portion of the semiconductor substrate and coupling the responsive optical signal into a detector comprising a second strained semiconductor portion of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first strained semiconductor portion, the first unstrained semiconductor portion, and the second strained semiconductor portion are each formed in a common layer of the semiconductor substrate that includes germanium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.