Monolithic Infrared Silicon Photonics: The Rise of (Si)GeSn Semiconductors

Abstract

(Si)GeSn semiconductors are finally coming of age after a long gestation period. The demonstration of device quality epi-layers and quantum-engineered heterostructures has meant that tunable all-group IV Si-integrated infrared photonics is now a real possibility. Notwithstanding the recent exciting developments in (Si)GeSn materials and devices, this family of semiconductors is still facing serious limitations that need to be addressed to enable reliable and scalable applications. The main outstanding challenges include the difficulty to grow high crystalline quality layers and heterostructures at the desired Sn content and lattice strain, preserve the material integrity during growth and throughout device processing steps, and control doping and defect density. Other challenges are related to the lack of optimized device designs and predictive theoretical models to evaluate and simulate the fundamental properties and performance of (Si)GeSn layers and heterostructures. This Perspective highlights key strategies to circumvent these hurdles and bring this material system to maturity to create far-reaching new opportunities for Si-compatible infrared photodetectors, sensors, and emitters for applications in free-space communication, infrared harvesting, biological and chemical sensing, and thermal imaging.

References in corpus (4)

• Ultra-low threshold cw and pulsed lasing in tensile strained GeSn alloys
• All-Group IV membrane room-temperature mid-infrared photodetector
• Short-range order in GeSn alloy
• Mid-infrared emission and absorption in strained and relaxed direct bandgap GeSn semiconductors

Cited by in corpus (22)

• 1D photonic crystal direct bandgap GeSn-on-insulator laser
• GeSn Defects and their Impact on Optoelectronic Properties: A Review
• Advances in modeling complex materials: The rise of neuroevolution potentials
• Dark current in monolithic extended-SWIR GeSn PIN photodetectors
• Coexistence of two types of short-range order in SiGeSn medium-entropy alloys
• Polarization-Tuned Fano Resonances in All-Dielectric Short-Wave Infrared Metasurface
• Light-Hole Gate-Defined Spin-Orbit Qubit
• Extended-SWIR Photodetection in All-Group IV Core/Shell Nanowires
• Recrystallization and Interdiffusion Processes in Laser-Annealed Strain-Relaxed Metastable Ge${}_{0.89}$Sn0${}_{.11}$
• Nuclear Spin-Depleted, Isotopically Enriched 70Ge/28Si70Ge Quantum Wells
• Local Alloy Order in a Ge1-xSnx/Ge Epitaxial Layer
• Electronic and optical properties of Si${}_x$Ge${}_{1-x-y}$Sn${}_y$ alloys lattice-matched to Ge
• Epitaxial SiGeSn alloys for CMOS-compatible thermoelectric devices
• Surfactant behavior and limited incorporation of Indium during in-situ doping of GeSn grown by MBE
• Light-hole spin confined in germanium
• Transfer-printed multiple Ge${}_{0.89}$Sn${}_{0.11}$ membrane mid-infrared photodetectors
• Thermal expansion and temperature dependence of Raman modes in epitaxial layers of Ge and Ge${}_{1-x}$Sn${}_x$
• First-Principles Calculation of Alloy Scattering and n-type Mobility in Strained GeSn
• Investigation of Lasing in Highly Strained Germanium at the Crossover to Direct Band Gap
• Mid-Infrared Optical Spin Injection and Coherent Control
• Micrometer-thick, atomically random Si0.06Ge0.90Sn0.04 for silicon-integrated infrared optoelectronics
• Ge-Ge${}_{0.92}$Sn${}_{0.08}$ core-shell single nanowire infrared photodetector with superior characteristics for on-chip optical communication