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High speed photodiodes in standard nanometer scale CMOS technology: a comparative study
Behrooz Nakhkoob1, Sagar Ray, Mona M Hella
1Department of Electrical and Computer System Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA. nakhkb@rpi.edu
Optics Express
|May 9, 2012
Summary
This study enhances silicon photodiode frequency response for optical receivers using novel CMOS designs. Techniques like Spatially Modulated Light (SML) detectors improve speed by managing photo-generated current components.
Area of Science:
- Electrical Engineering
- Optoelectronics
- Semiconductor Devices
Background:
- Integrated optical receivers require high-frequency photodiodes.
- Standard CMOS photodiodes face limitations in frequency response due to diffusive current components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare techniques for improving silicon photodiode frequency response in CMOS technology.
- To introduce a novel triple-well CMOS photodiode with enhanced bandwidth.
Main Methods:
- Device simulations using 130 nm CMOS technology parameters.
- Analysis of Spatially Modulated Light (SML) detectors, Double Photodiodes (DP), and Interrupted P-Finger Photodiodes (IPFPD).
- Introduction of a new triple-well CMOS photodiode design.
Main Results:
- SML detectors cancel low-speed current components using differential transimpedance amplifiers.
- DP photodiodes enhance fast drift current with dual depletion regions.
- IPFPD photodiodes redirect low-speed current to a separate contact.
- A novel triple-well photodiode achieves ~10 GHz bandwidth without process modification or high bias.
Conclusions:
- Novel photodiode designs significantly improve frequency response in mainstream CMOS.
- The triple-well CMOS photodiode offers a high-bandwidth solution for integrated optical receivers.
- These advancements are crucial for reliable and high-performance optical communication systems.
