SBIR Phase II: Strained Layer Avalanche Photodiodes for Long Wavelength Applications

SBIR 第二阶段：适用于长波长应用的应变层雪崩光电二极管

• 批准号: 9629778
• 负责人: Gregory Olsen
• 金额: $ 29.75万
• 依托单位: Sensors Unlimited, Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-07-15 至 1999-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9629778&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Strained; Layer

*** 9629778 Olsen This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will design, optimize, and deliver a high-performance avalanche photodiode (APD) for use in the 1.0-2.2 um spectral region as a high performance telecommunications and LIDAR receiver. Strained epitaxial layers will be combined with multi-quantum-well (MQW) InGaAsP/InP layers. The strained layer distorts the valence band of the multiplying (gain) region to reduce the field at which ionization occurs. This reduces device operating voltage and also decreases the ratio of hole/electron ionization coefficients (compared to the unstrained case), and thus decreases noise. In Phase I devices were fabricated and tested with tensile and compressive strain. Feasibility of concept was conclusively demonstrated with measured avalanche gains 100 and hole/electron gain ratios of 0.2-0.4. Phase II will fabricate and optimize a reliable planar structure for light response out to 1.65 um which realizes the advantages of low voltage (10-20v), low noise operation, high gain (50) and high yield. These concepts will then be applied to the InAsP/InGaAs materials system, along with the use of ternary InAsP substrates, to achieve low-noise avalanche gain at 2.2um. The project will result in a high performance, low cost, infrared detector for fiber optic communications, eye-safe range-finding and spectroscopy. This device would also be viable for wavelengths beyond 2 um which would open up other commercial possibilities such as gas sensing and windshear detection. APDs are not yet widely used in commercial long-wavelength fiber optic communication systems because of their high-noise properties. Successful completion of a Phase II program would enable commercialization of a low-noise device which would open up a market, presently estimated at over $50 million per year. ***

*9629778奥尔森这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目将设计、优化和交付高性能雪崩光电二极管(雪崩光电二极管)，用于1.0-2.2um光谱区域，作为高性能电信和激光雷达接收器。应变外延层将与多量子阱(MQW)InGaAsP/InP层结合。应变层扭曲了倍增(增益)区的价带，从而降低了发生电离的电场。这降低了器件的工作电压，也降低了空穴/电子电离系数的比率(与无应变情况相比)，从而降低了噪声。在第一阶段，制作了器件，并对其进行了拉伸和压缩应变测试。测量的雪崩增益为100，空穴/电子增益比为0.2-0.4，最终证明了该概念的可行性。第二阶段将制作和优化可靠的平面结构，使光响应输出到1.65微米，实现低电压(10-20V)、低噪声工作、高增益(50)和高成品率的优点。然后将这些概念应用于InAsP/InGaAs材料系统，并使用三元InAsP衬底，以实现2.2um的低噪声雪崩增益。该项目将产生一种高性能、低成本的红外探测器，用于光纤通信、人眼安全测距和光谱分析。这种装置还可以用于波长超过2微米的物体，这将开辟其他商业可能性，如气体传感和风切变探测。由于APDS的高噪声特性，目前在商业长波光纤通信系统中还没有得到广泛的应用。第二阶段项目的成功完成将使一种低噪音设备实现商业化，这将打开一个市场，目前估计每年超过5000万美元。***