STTR Phase I: Advanced Si-Ge-Sn-based Photonic Materials and Devices

这项小型企业技术转移（STTR）第一阶段研究项目旨在展示基于亚利桑那州立大学开发的技术的红外探测器和光伏（太阳能电池）设备的原型。这项有待探索的新技术包括直接在硅片上生长光学质量的锡锗合金（Ge1-ySny）。这些合金充当红外材料，它们也可以用作硅上其他半导体随后生长的模板。该项目特别感兴趣的是三元合金Ge1-x-ySixSny，这是亚利桑那州立大学首次培育出来的。利用这项技术，应该可以制造出覆盖以前硅基探测器无法达到的光谱范围的红外探测器，并可以制造出更有效捕获太阳光子的多结光伏设备。在廉价的硅片上制造半导体器件具有重要意义，因为它具有潜在的巨大成本降低和集成光电和微电子功能的可能性，从而进一步降低成本并有助于系统小型化。本文提出的红外探测器涵盖了1500 nm左右波长窗口内所谓的电信C、L和u波段，这是电信行业非常感兴趣的区域。在光伏领域，提出的器件有潜力提供更高的效率，使晶体硅基器件与非晶硅解决方案竞争。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I research project aims to demonstrate prototype infrared light detectors and photovoltaic (solar cell) devices based on technology developed at Arizona State University. The new technology to be explored consists in growing optical-quality alloys of tin and germanium (Ge1-ySny) directly on silicon wafers. These alloys act as infrared materials, and they can also be used as templates for the subsequent growth of other semiconductors on silicon. Of particularinterest for this project is the ternary alloy Ge1-x-ySixSny, grown for the first time at Arizona State University. Using this technology, it should be possible to build infrared detectors covering a spectral range previously inaccessible to silicon-based detectors, and to build multijunction photovoltaic devices for a more efficient capture of solar photons. The fabrication of semiconductor devices on cheap silicon wafers is of great significance because of the potentially enormous cost reductions and the possibility of integrating optoelectronic and microelectronic functions, which further reduces costs and contributes to system miniaturization. The infrared detectors proposed here cover the so-called telecom C-,L-, and U-bands within the wavelength window around 1500 nm, a region of great interest to the telecommunications industry. In the photovoltaics arena, the proposed devices have the potential to offer increased efficiencies to make crystalline silicon-based devices competitive with amorphous silicon solutions.