Experimental Demonstration and Theoretical Analysis of Simultaneous Emission-Detection Phenomenon

The demand for on-chip multifunctional optoelectronic systems is increasing in the Internet-of-Things era. Spectral emission-detection overlap endows an InGaN/GaN quantum well diode (QWD) with an intriguing capability to detect and modulate light emitted by itself, which is of great interest when merging electronics and photonics together on a single chip for the development of advanced information systems. When biased and illuminated at approximately the same time, the InGaN/GaN QWD can achieve light emission and detection simultaneously. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous emission-detection phenomenon and analyze the irreversibility of spectral emission-detection overlap according to energy diagram theory, which may answer why the QWD can only detect and modulate higher-energy photons than those emitted by itself.