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Enhancement of responsivity and speed in waveguide Ge/Si avalanche photodiode with separate vertical Ge absorption, lateral Si charge and multiplication configuration

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Abstract

Waveguide-coupled Ge/Si separate absorption, charge and multiplication avalanche photodiodes (SACM APDs) have shown significant potential as high-sensitivity, low-noise, and high-speed photo-detection for optical communications. Here we present a nanoscale single-mode waveguide-integrated vertical Ge absorption, lateral Si charge and single multiplication configuration for a waveguide Ge/Si SACM APD. This device can achieve 90% absorption at 1550 nm wavelengths with a 10 μm-long Ge layer. The device exhibits a seven times reduction in device length compared to conventional waveguide structures and a 29% increase compared to multi-mode interference coupling. Meanwhile, a 3-dB bandwidth can achieve 47 GHz, which is five times higher than the conventional vertical Ge absorption, lateral Si charge and multiplication devices.

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Acknowledgements

This work is partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61505003, 61675046 and 61335004), and the National Key Research, and Development Program of China (Nos. 2016YFB0400603, 2017YFB0400902 and 2017YFF0104801) and Beijing education commission project (SQKM201610005008).

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  1. School of Information, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, People’s Republic of China

    Chong Li, Shihong Qin, Ben Li, Kai Bao & Jiale Su

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  1. Chong Li
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Correspondence to Chong Li.

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Li, C., Qin, S., Li, B. et al. Enhancement of responsivity and speed in waveguide Ge/Si avalanche photodiode with separate vertical Ge absorption, lateral Si charge and multiplication configuration. Opt Quant Electron 51, 219 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-019-1926-5

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