Silicon-Based Photonics

Silicon is the dominating material for integrated circuits in microelectronics. Integration of optoelectronics with microelectronics will push the application in various fields ranging from high-resolution imaging and infrared vision to fiber to the home, fast ethernet, high-speed board-to-board and chip-to-chip connections and more speed (above a 10GHz clock frequency) in computing and system on chips, and optical signal processing/computing. The technical key ingredients for an integration of photonic and electronic components on silicon are the development of silicon-based heterostructures (silicon germanium, or SiGe) and the availability of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates.

This book comprises the basics of band structure of silicon and germanium and their influence on photonic properties and discusses system layout and key device components with the application background in mind. Special emphasis is given to SOI-based interconnects and passive waveguide devices and to germanium (Ge) on silicon (Si) heterostructure devices for light detection, modulation and emission. The high index contrast of SOI shows great promise for submicron waveguide structures suited for integration on the chip scale. The Ge/Si heterostructures have already proved expansion of the spectral range, high speed operation of detection, efficient modulation and switching of optical signals, and enhanced emission properties. The focus of this research are chip systems with a speed greater than 100GHz.

The book also contains an overview of the technological and materials science challenges connected with the integration on Si.