Er-doped silicon and silicon-rich silicon oxide have been
investigated extensively for the potentially important applications in
Si-compatible photonic devices such as silicon-based lasers, or optical
amplifiers, owing to the fact that the emission wavelength of 1.53 µm lies in
the minimum loss region of silica-based optical fibers. However the
concentration in Si or SiO2 is typically limited to below 1×1020 cm–3 due to
concentration quenching. These disadvantages make the Er-doped Si or SiO2
systems unsuited for high-gain practical applications.
Researchers at ASU have developed a technology that focuses
specifically on the growth of the single crystal materials Erbium Silicate
(ErSiO) and Erbium Chloride Silicate (ErClSiO) directly on Silicon. By growing
these materials using chemical vapor deposition they will contain 2-3 orders of
magnitude more Erbium ions than the silicon based light emitting materials that
the market currently uses. Further, these materials are single crystals opposed
to poly or amorphous crystals. This translates into increased light emission
strength and a higher gain than other Silicon based materials. The newly
developed single crystal materials are thinner and smaller which allow for
electrical injection increasing the performance and reliability of all Silicon
based light emitting devices (like lasers and LEDs) while reducing production
costs and will be a significant incremental improvement to all products
utilizing silicon photonics, silicon based lasers, and optical devices.
Potential Applications
- Silicon-based lasers, silicon photonics, optical devices,
solar cells
- Computer processing chips used in the manufacture of
computers, servers, and other electronic devices
- LEDs and lasers
Benefits and Advantages
- 2-3 orders of magnitude more erbium ions than currently
available materials
- Increased light emission strength and higher gain
- Electrical injection possible which increases performance
and reliability while reducing production costs
- Allows monolithic integration
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