Si基Ge异质结构发光器件的研究进展

近年来,与Si的CMOS工艺相兼容的Ge/Si异质结构发光器件取得很多重要的进展。本文概述了Si基Ge异质结构发光器件的最新成果,如Ge/Si量子点发光二极管、Si衬底上的Ge发光二极管及激光器和Ge/SiGe多量子阱发光二极管,分别描述了这些器件的特点和增强其发光特性的途径。最后展望了Si基Ge异质结构发光器件的发展趋势,指出尽管Si基Ge异质结构发光器件获得了很大的发展,但是器件的发光效率仍然很低,离实用还有一定距离,还需要在材料和器件的结构方面有更多的创新。     

Infrared spectroscopy of intraband transitions in Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices

We report the study of infrared spectroscopy of intraband transitions in Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices. The superlattices, which were grown on (001) oriented Si substrates by a solid source molecular beam epitaxy system, are composed mainly of 20 or 30 periods of Ge dot layers and Si spacer films. The structural properties of them and of the uncapped Ge dots grown on the surfaces of some of them were tested by cross-sectional transmission electron and atomic force microscopes, respectively. It is found that the Ge quantum dots have flat lens-like shapes. Infrared absorption signals peaking in the mid-infrared range were observed using Fourier transform infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy techniques. Experimental and theoretical analysis suggests that the mid-infrared response be attributed to intraband transitions within the valence band of the Ge quantum dots in the superlattices. The fact that the intraband absorption is strongly polarized along the growth axis of the superlattices signifies that the Ge quantum dots with flat lens-like shapes perform as Ge/Si-based quantum wells. This study demonstrates the application potential of these kinds of Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices for developing mid-infrared photodetectors.     

Heterostructures with self-organized quantum dots of Ge on Si for optoelectronic devices

In this paper an analysis of tendencies of Ge on Si quantum dots nanoheterostructures’ usage in different optoelectronic devices such as, for example, solar cells and photodetectors of visible and infra-red regions is carried out; a complex mathematical model for calculation of dependency on growth conditions of self-organized quantum dots of Ge on Si grown using the method of molecular beam epitaxy parameters is described. Ways of segregation effect and underlying layers’ influence are considered. It is shown that for realization of good device characteristics quantum dots should have high density, small sizes, uniformity, and narrow size distribution function. The desirable parameters of arrays of square and rectangular quantum dots for device application are attainable under certain growth conditions.     

Mixed Si-Ge nanoparticle quantum dots: a density functional theory study

We present a systematic study of small mixed composition Si and Ge nanoparticle quantum dots performed using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) with real space grids and norm-conserving pseudopotentials. Quantum dot models are obtained by distributing Si and Ge atoms within basic models containing a specified number of atomic sites, tetrahedrally-coordinated about a central site, with H atoms added to terminate the surfaces. We consider models containing up to 35 semiconductor atoms, and a number of subsets of the total number of possible configurations (e.g. alternating elements in successive shells). Following calculation of structural and energetic properties, the optical absorption spectra are determined using time-dependent DFT within Casida’s linear-response approach. With respect to Si, the inclusion of Ge moves spectral weight to lower energies. We observe that the relative fractions of Si and Ge have stronger effects on the absorption spectra than the structural distribution of those atoms within the nanoparticle, which tends to have quite small effects.     

High-speed waveguide-integrated Ge/Si avalanche photodetector

Waveguide-integrated Ge/Si heterostructure avalanche photodetectors(APDs) were designed and fabricated using a CMOS-compatible process on 8-inch SOI substrate. The structure of the APD was designed as separate-absorption-chargemultiplication(SACM) using germanium and silicon as absorption region and multiplication region, respectively. The breakdown voltage(V_b) of such a device is 19 V at reverse bias and dark current appears to be 0.71 μA at 90% of the V_b. The device with a 10-μm length and 7-μm width of Ge layer shows a maximum 3-dB bandwidth of 17.8 GHz at the wavelength of 1550 nm. For the device with a 30-μm-length Ge region, gain-bandwidth product achieves 325 GHz.     

10 Gbit/s Silicon modulator and germanium detector chip-to-chip optical link

Experimental results of a high-speed silicon optical modulator based on carrier depletion in a pipin diode and Germanium photodetectors are presented. 10 Gbit/s data transmission is obtained for both optoelectronic devices, with for the optical modulator an extinction ratio (ER) higher than 8 dB and insertion loss (IL) lower than 6 dB and for Ge photodetector, a zero-bias operating at 10 Gbit/s. Finally, a 10 Gbit/s optical link combining Si modulator and Ge photodetector is demonstrated.     

Ab Initio Study of Phosphorescence of Hetero[8]Circulenes

Russian Physics Journal - Quantum chemical calculations of phosphorescence lifetime are performed for the first time by ab initio CC2 and TD-DFT methods for hetero[8]circulenes bearing Si and Ge...     

采用Al/TaN叠层电极提高Si基Ge PIN光电探测器的性能

金属与Ge材料接触由于存在强烈的费米钉扎效应, 导致金属电极与n型Ge接触引入较大的接触电阻, 限制了Si基Ge探测器响应带宽. 本文报道了在SOI衬底上外延Ge单晶薄膜并制备了不同台面尺度的Ge PIN光电探测器. 对比了电极分别为金属Al和Al/TaN叠层的具有相同器件结构的SOI基Ge PIN光电探测器的暗电流、响应度以及响应带宽等参数. 发现在Al与Ge之间增加一薄层TaN可有效减小n型Ge的接触电阻, 将台面直径为24 μ的探测器在1.55 μ的波 长和-1 V偏压下的3 dB响应带宽提高了4倍. 同时, 器件暗电流减小一个数量级, 而响应度提高了2倍. 结果表明, 采用TaN薄层制作金属与Ge接触电极, 可有效钝化金属与Ge界面, 减轻费米钉扎效应, 降低金属与n-Ge接触的势垒高度, 因而减小接触电阻和界面复合电流, 提高探测器的光电性能.     

Spectral tuning of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot infrared photodetectors with bandpass guided‐mode resonance filters

Quantum dot infrared photodetectors can be coupled with micro‐structured filters to create narrowband sensors. Guided‐mode resonance filters based on a high‐index dielectric slab can exhibit bandpass characteristics that are suitable for monolithic integration with focal‐plane arrays. Here, patterned Ge filters were integrated with InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot detectors to linearly tune their 77 K photoresponse peaks from 5.6 µm to 6.2 µm. The dark current was not influenced by these filters but the ability to narrow the photoresponse linewidth was limited by substrate scattering, which is often encountered with front‐side illumination architectures. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Intraband photoresponse of SiGe quantum dot/quantum well multilayers

In this contribution we study the intravalence band photoexcitation of holes from self-assembled Ge quantum dots (QDs) in Si followed by spatial carrier transfer into SiGe quantum well (QW) channels located close to the Ge dot layers. The structures show maximum response in the important wavelength range 3–5 μm. The influence of the SiGe hole channel on photo- and dark current is studied depending on temperature and the spatial separation of QWs and dot layers. Introduction of the SiGe channel in the active region of the structure increases the photoresponsivity by up to about two orders of magnitude to values of 90 mA/W at T=20 K. The highest response values are obtained for structures with small layer separation (10 nm) that enable efficient transfer of photoexcited holes from QD to QW layers. The results indicate that Si/Ge QD structures with lateral photodetection promise very sensitive large area mid-infrared photodetectors with integrated readout microelectronics in Si technology.     

Electronic structure,mechanical and optical properties of ternary semiconductors Si1-xGexC (X = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1)

The electronic structure of silicon carbide with increasing germanium content have been examined using first principles calculations based on density functional theory. The structural stability is analysed between two different phases, namely, cubic zinc blende and hexagonal phases. The zinc blende structure is found to be the stable one for all the Si_1-xGe_xC semiconducting carbides at normal pressure. Effect of substitution of Ge for Si in SiC on electronic and mechanical properties is studied. It is observed that cubic SiC is a semiconductor with the band gap value 1.243?eV. The band gap value of SiC is increased due to the substitution of Ge and the band gap values of Si _0.75 Ge _0.25 C, Si _0.50 Ge _0.50 C, Si _0.25 Ge _0.75 C and GeC are 1.322 eV, 1.413 eV, 1.574 eV and 1.657?eV respectively. As the pressure is increased, it is found that the energy gap gets decreased for Si_1-x Ge_xC (X?=?0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1). The elastic constants satisfy the Born – Huang elastic stability criteria. The bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio are also calculated and compared with the other available results.     

High-efficiency metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors on heteroepitaxially grown Ge on Si

We demonstrate extremely efficient germanium-on-silicon metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors with responsivities (R) as high as 0.85 A/W at 1.55 microm and 2V reverse bias. Ge was directly grown on Si by using a novel heteroepitaxial growth technique, which uses multisteps of growth and hydrogen annealing to reduce surface roughness and threading dislocations that form due to the 4.2% lattice mismatch. Photodiodes on such layers exhibit reverse dark currents of 100 mA/cm2 and external quantum efficiency up to 68%. This technology is promising to realize monolithically integrated optoelectronics.     

Ge/Si photodiodes and phototransistors with embedded arrays of germanium quantum dots for fiber-optic communication lines

Photodetectors based on Ge/Si multilayer heterostructures with germanium quantum dots are fabricated for use in fiber-optic communication lines operating in the wavelength range 1.30–1.55 μm. These photodetectors can be embedded in an array of photonic circuit elements on a single silicon chip. The sheet density of germanium quantum dots falls in the range from 0.3 × 10¹² to 1.0 × 10¹² cm^?2, and their lateral size is approximately equal to 10 nm. The heterostructures are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. For a reverse bias of 1 V, the dark current density reaches 2 × 10^?5 A/cm². This value is the lowest in the data on dark current densities available in the literature for Ge/Si photodetectors at room temperature. The quantum efficiency of photodiodes and phototransistors subjected to illumination from the side of the plane of the p-n junctions is found to be 3% at a wavelength of 1.3 μm. It is demonstrated that the maximum quantum efficiency is achieved for edge-illuminated waveguide structures and can be as high as 21 and 16% at wavelengths of 1.3 and 1.5 μm, respectively.     

Zero biased Ge-on-Si photodetector with a bandwidth of 4.72~GHz at 1550~nm

High quality Ge was epitaxially grown on Si using ultrahigh vacuum/chemical vapor deposition (UHV/CVD). This paper demonstrates efficient germanium-on-silicon p-i-n photodetectors with 0.8~μm Ge, with responsivities as high as 0.38 and 0.21~A/W at 1.31 and 1.55~μ m, respectively. The dark current density is 0.37~mA/cm² and 29.4~mA/cm² at 0~V and a reverse bias of 0.5~V. The detector with a diameter of 30~μ m, a 3~dB-bandwidth of 4.72~GHz at an incident wavelength of 1550~nm and zero external bias has been measured. At a reverse bias of 3~V, the bandwidth is 6.28~GHz.     

高性能SOI基GePIN波导光电探测器的制备及特性研究

本文报道了在SOI衬底上外延高质量单晶Ge薄膜并制备高性能不同尺寸Ge PIN波导光电探测器.通过采用原子力显微镜、X射线衍射、拉曼散射光谱表征外延Ge薄膜的表面形貌、晶体质量以及应变参数,结果显示外延Ge薄膜中存在约0.2%左右的张应变,且表面平整,粗糙度为1.12 nm.此外,通过暗电流、光响应度以及3 dB带宽的测试来研究波导探测器的性能,结果表明尺寸为4μm×20μm波导探测器在-1 V的反向偏压下暗电流密度低至75 mA/cm~2,在1.55μm波长处的响应度为0.58 A/W,在-2 V的反向偏压下的3 dB带宽为5.5 GHz.     

Photoconductivity of Ge/Si quantum dot photodetectors

Various structures of self-assembled Ge/Si quantum dot infrared photodetectors were implemented and investigated. The electronic structure of the QDIPs was studied by electrical and optical techniques including I–V characteristics, dark current, photoconductivity, photoluminescence, and photo-induced infrared absorption. The photoconductive spectra consist of a broad multi-peak, composed of peaks ranging from 70 to 220 meV. Their relative intensity changes with bias. Comparative dark current measurements were performed. Dark current limits the performance of this first generation of Ge/Si QDIPs. It is plausible that direct doping in the dot layer is a viable way of reducing the dark current.     

Localization of Surface Plasmon Waves in Hybrid Photodetectors with Subwavelength Metallic Arrays

The spectral characteristics of the hole photocurrent in plasmon photodetectors based on Ge/Si heterostructures with Ge quantum dots combined with regular arrays of subwavelength apertures of various shapes in a gold film on the semiconductor surface are investigated. Dispersion relations characterizing the propagation of surface plasmon waves along the metal–semiconductor interface are determined from the dependences of the photocurrent on the angle of incidence of light. It is established that the plasmonic enhancement of the photocurrent in rectangular aperture array is suppressed as compared to that in circular and square aperture arrays. It is found that, in hybrid structures with rectangular apertures, there exists a range of wave vectors where the energy of surface plasmons is independent of the wave vector of incident radiation. The results are explained by the excitation of dipole modes localized at rectangular apertures with a large aspect ratio by light waves.     

Subsurface strain in the Ge(001) and Ge(111) surfaces and comparison to silicon

The subsurface strain associated with surface reconstruction was measured for the Ge(001)-c(4×2) and Ge(111)-c(2×8) surfaces using high energy ion scattering. In the case of the Ge(001) surface we find the equivalent of ∼3 monolayers displaced by more than 0.12 Å, in accord with dimer models of the surface reconstruction. For the Ge(111) surface displacements are observed in off-normal incidence, indicating large displacements perpendicular to the surface or other reconstructions, such as a stacking fault configuration. The relationship between subsurface strain and stacking fault models is also discussed. The subsurface strain in these two Ge surfaces is remarkably similar to that of the corresponding Si surfaces, even though the details of the surface reconstruction are different. Measurements at low temperature indicate that the strain is essentially temperature independent, as expected. Measurements of the hydrogen covered surfaces show little change is strain, a surprising result when compared to the behavior of Si(001).     

小尺寸Si/Ge量子点内应变和组分的拉曼光谱表征

本文详细地研究了原始生长和退火处理后的Si/Ge量子点的拉曼光谱。我们观测到了Si/Ge量子点的一系列本征的拉曼振动模以及Ge-Ge模的LO和TO声子峰间4.2cm-1的频率劈裂。通过这些参数,我们自洽地确定了原始生长的平面直径为20nm和高为2nm的Si/Ge量子点内Ge的平均组分为80%,平均应变为-3.4%。分析清楚地表明了这种小尺寸的Si/Ge量子点内的应变仍遵从双轴应变,并且应变的释放主要由量子点和Si隔离层间Si-Ge原子互扩散决定。     

Effect of composition modulation on the structural and optical properties of Si/Ge bilayers

We report structural as well as optical studies on Si/Ge bilayer structures having different individual layer thicknesses. The Raman spectrum of [Ge (5 nm)/Si (5 nm)] bilayer structure shows amorphous nature, while the [Si (5 nm)/Ge (5 nm)] bilayer structure shows a mixed nanocrystalline/amorphous behaviour of the layers. As the thickness of the individual layers increases to 10 nm, the introduction of large number of Si atoms at the interface results in reduction of Ge crystallization as well as higher intensity of interfacial SiGe alloy formation. This may be regarded as a consequence of the island growth induced surface roughening in the later case (i.e. in [Si (10 nm)/Ge (10 nm)] bilayer) as also revealed by corresponding atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. These results are also supported by Photoluminescence (PL) spectra recorded using two different photon energies of 300 and 488 nm along with the optical absorption measurements giving higher values of band gap as compared to their corresponding bulks, revealing the effect of quantum confinement in the deposited layers.