Triple transit region photodiodes (TTR-PDs) providing high millimeter wave output power

We report on a novel triple transit region (TTR) layer structure for 1.55 μm waveguide photodiodes (PDs) providing high output power in the millimeter wave (mmW) regime. Basically, the TTR-PD layer structure consists of three transit layers, in which electrons drift at saturation velocity or even at overshoot velocity. Sufficiently strong electric fields (>3000 V/cm) are achieved in all three transit layers even in the undepleted absorber layer and even at very high optical input power levels. This is achieved by incorporating three 10 nm thick p-doped electric field clamp layers. Numerical simulations using the drift-diffusion model (DDM) indicate that for optical intensities up to ~500 kW/cm(2), no saturation effects occur, i.e. the electric field exceeds the critical electric field in all three transit layers. This fact in conjunction with a high-frequency double-mushroom cross-section of the waveguide TTR-PD ensures high output power levels at mmW frequencies. Fabricated 1.55 µm InGaAs(P)/InP waveguide TTR-PDs exhibit output power levels exceeding 0 dBm (1 mW) and a return loss (RL) up to ~24 dB. Broadband operation with a 3 dB bandwidth beyond 110 GHz is achieved.