The research proposed here aims to develop high performance optical devices, such as optical modulators, photodetectors, and waveguides, using Silicon-Germanium-Carbon (SiGeC) alloys that are compatible with Silicon microelectronics. Thick dislocation free SiGeC layers can be grown lattice matched to Silicon substrates. The use of SiGeC alloys allows one to realize compact and efficient optical devices. The performance of on-chip electro-optical modulators and photodetectors, measured in terms of modulation efficiency, detection efficiency, and bandwidth, can be enhanced many folds (between 5 to 10 times) by using devices that employ SiGeC alloys instead of SiGe alloys or plain Silicon. The proposed devices can be easily integrated with Silicon microelectronics, and are expected to contribute to the development of Silicon transmitter and receiver chips for short-haul optical communication systems, as well as to the development of high bandwidth intra-chip optical interconnections.
Broader Impacts
SiGeC alloys can bring the material and design flexibility available in III-V material systems to the Silicon platform and enable a variety of novel devices based on SiGeC/Si multiple quantum wells strucures, such as quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) and mid-IR and far-IR SiGeC/Si quantum cascade lasers. The impact on education of the proposed research will be in the development of course curricula for the Electrical Engineering Department at Cornell University that will synthesize various perspectives of electrical engineering, semiconductor optoelectronics, nanotechnology, and device physics at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The proposed research provides a rich set of engineering research problems that will greatly benefit the education of the graduate students involved in the project. In addition, summer workshops for high school students, professional development workshops and courses for high school teachers, and lectures and demonstrations for middle school students will be organized.
