Band-gap modification applied to the development of silicon photonic devices

该提案涉及开发集成光学电路(IOC)；具体地说，以与微电子和纳米电子生产中使用的硅器件的制造兼容的方式在硅衬底上制造的那些IOC。这一研究领域，通常被称为“硅光子学”，承诺高度集成的器件，具有光学和电子功能。全球硅光子学研究工作对光学互连、电信和传感等领域的信息传输、存储和处理产生了持续的影响。 在当前的工作中，我们将使用一种物理询问基本原理、模型开发、器件设计和制造，并最终实现高层集成的方法。我们的提议的具体和新颖之处在于，使用硅的带隙修饰来增强和实现通常与这种半导体不相关的光子功能。(1)在1550 nm这一重要的通信波长上制作器件，实现信息从光到电的转换。转换率将在10 GHz的频率下发生。(2)我们将“削减”谐振器的响应，取消对单个热调结构的要求，从而大幅降低制造成本。(3)我们将开发一种新的光学调制技术，它利用深带能级的电荷态来以极高的效率编码信息。(4)我们将探索低维硅和硅酸盐薄膜在发光和固态照明方面的应用。这四个广泛的项目适合研究生培养，详细描述在完整的提案中。 我们的设备将使用硅制造行业提供的限制进行制造。通过这种方式，任何和所有成功的开发都有可能在可扩展的范例中进行开发。

This proposal relates to the development of integrated optical circuits (IOCs); specifically those fabricated on a silicon substrate in a manner which is compatible with the manufacture of silicon devices used in the production of micro- and nano-electronics. This area of research, commonly referred to as 'silicon photonics', promises highly integrated devices with both optical and electronic functionality. The global silicon photonics research effort has a continuing impact on information transfer, storage and processing in areas such as optical interconnects, telecommunications and sensing. In the current work we will use an approach of physical enquiry of fundamentals, model development, device design and fabrication, and ultimately high-level integration. Both specific and novel to our proposal is the use of band-gap modification of silicon to enhance and enable photonic functionality not normally associated with this semiconductor. (1) We will fabricate devices to perform the conversion of information from the optical to the electrical domain at the important communication wavelength of 1550nm. The conversion rate will take place at a frequency of ten's of GHz. (2) We will 'trim' the response of resonant devices, negating the requirement for individual, thermally tuned structures and thus drastically reduce the cost of manufacture. (3) We will develop a novel optical modulation technique which uses the charge state of deep-band levels to encode information with extreme efficiency. (4) We will explore the use of low-dimensional silicon and silicate thin films for applications in light emission and solid state lighting. These four broad projects are suitable for graduate student training, as described in detail in the full proposal. Our devices will be fabricated using the limitations provided by the silicon manufacturing industry. In this way, any and all successful developments have potential for exploitation in a scalable paradigm.