A High-Speed and High-Saturation Output-Modified Uni-Traveling-Carrier Photodiode (MUTC-PD) with an Electric-Field...

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Semiconductor Devices
• Photonic Integrated Circuits

Background:

• Modified uni-traveling-carrier photodiodes (MUTC-PDs) face a trade-off between response speed and radio frequency (RF) output power.
• Achieving high-speed operation under high photocurrent conditions remains a challenge for MUTC-PDs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and investigate a novel MUTC-PD design incorporating an electric-field regulation layer (EFRL).
• To enhance the high-speed response and RF output capability of MUTC-PDs by optimizing electric-field distribution.

Main Methods:

• Insertion of a 20 nm EFRL between the collector and cliff layers of the MUTC-PD.
• Simulation of device performance with varying EFRL doping concentrations.
• Analysis of electric-field distribution and electron transport dynamics under high photocurrent.

Main Results:

• Optimal EFRL doping concentration determined to be 1×10¹⁶ cm^-3.
• Simulated 3 dB bandwidth of 130 GHz achieved for an 8 µm diameter EFRL-MUTC-PD at -4 V bias and 15 mA photocurrent.
• A 9.3% improvement in 3 dB bandwidth compared to conventional MUTC-PDs was predicted, with RF output power reaching 11.54 dBm at 130 GHz.

Conclusions:

• The EFRL effectively regulates the electric field in the collector layer, enabling electron transport near peak drift velocity.
• The proposed EFRL-MUTC-PD design successfully alleviates the trade-off between high-speed response and RF output capability.
• This advancement offers potential for improved performance in high-frequency optoelectronic applications.