Silicon Germanium CMOS Optoelectronic Switching Device: Bringing Light to Latch

We propose a novel semiconductor optoelectronic (OE) switch that is a fusion of a Ge optical detector and a Si metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field-effect transistor (FET). The device operation principle is investigated, and the performance is explored by simulations. The proof of principle is demonstrated by experiments. The use of Ge enables operation in standard telecommunication wavelengths, in addition to providing the surrounding Si circuitry with noise immunity from signaling. The transconductance of the FET provides amplification, and an experimental current gain of up to 1000 is demonstrated. A complementary function is shown by tailoring the doping profiles. The circuit performance of a complementary pair using the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors values for the 150-nm node is evaluated by simulation, yielding ~100-ps cycle times. The switch can be fabricated in the nanoscale regime along with a high-performance Si complementary MOS. A very low capacitance can be achieved due to the isolation of the detection region from the current drive. OE conversion that is performed with such a compact device offers the potential of inserting light at the latch level in a microprocessor.

[1]  Eby G. Friedman,et al.  On-chip optical interconnect roadmap: challenges and critical directions , 2005 .

[2]  P. Kapur,et al.  The Delay, Energy, and Bandwidth Comparisons between Copper, Carbon Nanotube, and Optical Interconnects for Local and Global Wiring Application , 2007, 2007 IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conferencee.

[3]  H. Atwater,et al.  Selective solid phase crystallization for control of grain size and location in Ge thin films on silicon dioxide , 1996 .

[4]  James D. Plummer,et al.  Rapid Melt Growth of Germanium Crystals with Self-Aligned Microcrucibles on Si Substrates , 2005 .

[5]  P. Kapur,et al.  Power comparison between high-speed electrical and optical interconnects for interchip communication , 2004, Journal of Lightwave Technology.

[6]  Yasuhiko Ishikawa,et al.  Strain-induced band gap shrinkage in Ge grown on Si substrate , 2003 .

[7]  Lambertus Hesselink,et al.  C-shaped nanoaperture-enhanced germanium photodetector. , 2006, Optics letters.

[8]  James D. Plummer,et al.  High-quality single-crystal Ge on insulator by liquid-phase epitaxy on Si substrates , 2004 .

[9]  D.A.B. Miller,et al.  Rationale and challenges for optical interconnects to electronic chips , 2000, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[10]  Ying-Bing Jiang,et al.  Selective growth of Ge on Si(100) through vias of SiO2 nanotemplate using solid source molecular beam epitaxy , 2003 .

[11]  David A. B. Miller,et al.  Receiverless detection schemes for optical clock distribution , 2004, SPIE OPTO.

[12]  D. Miller,et al.  Strong quantum-confined Stark effect in germanium quantum-well structures on silicon , 2005, Nature.

[13]  K.C. Saraswat,et al.  Strain Enhanced High Efficiency Germanium Photodetectors in the Near Infrared for Integration with Si , 2006, LEOS 2006 - 19th Annual Meeting of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society.

[14]  P. Kapur,et al.  The impact of technology on power for high-speed electrical and optical interconnects , 2005, Proceedings of the IEEE 2005 International Interconnect Technology Conference, 2005..

[15]  Dimitri A. Antoniadis,et al.  High quality Ge on Si by epitaxial necking , 2000 .