Photonic chip-based low-noise microwave oscillator.

Numerous modern technologies are reliant on the low-phase noise and exquisite timing stability of microwave signals. Substantial progress has been made in the field of microwave photonics, whereby low-noise microwave signals are generated by the down-conversion of ultrastable optical references using a frequency comb. Such systems, however, are constructed with bulk or fibre optics and are difficult to further reduce in size and power consumption.

AlInAsSb Geiger-mode SWIR and eSWIR SPADs with high avalanche probability.

Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) that are sensitive to photons in the Short-wave infrared and extended short-wave infrared (SWIR and eSWIR) spectra are important components for communication, ranging, and low-light level imaging. The high gain, low excess noise factor, and widely tunable bandgap of AlInAsSb avalanche photodiodes (APDs) make them a suitable candidate for these applications. In this work, we report single-photon-counting results for a separate absorption, charge, and multiplication (SACM) Geiger-mode SPAD within a gated-quenching circuit.

Thermal dissipation enhancement in flip-chip bonded uni-traveling carrier photodiodes.

The thermal properties of modified uni-traveling carrier (MUTC) photodiode flip-chip bonded to AlN and diamond are simulated. The thermal impedance of InGaAs is the primary source of internal heating. An n-down epitaxial structure is designed to improve thermal dissipation.

Considerations for excess noise measurements of low-k-factor Sb-based avalanche photodiodes.

In applications where high sensitivity is required, the internal gain mechanism of avalanche photodiodes can provide a performance advantage relative to -- photodiodes. However, this internal gain mechanism leads to an excess noise that scales with gain. This excess noise term can be minimized by using materials systems in which impact ionization is initiated primarily by one carrier type.

Anomalous excess noise behavior in thick AlGaAsSb avalanche photodiodes.

AlGaAsSb has recently attracted significant research interest as a material for 1550 nm low-noise short-wave infrared (SWIR) avalanche photodiodes (APDs) due to the very wide ratio between its electron and hole ionization coefficients. This work reports new experimental excess noise data for thick AlGaAsSb PIN and NIP structures, measuring low noise at significantly higher multiplication values than previously reported (F = 2.2 at M = 38).

Frequency behavior of AlInAsSb nBn photodetectors and the development of an equivalent circuit model.

We report the frequency response of AlInAsSb/AlInAsSb nBn photodetectors. The 3-dB bandwidth of the devices varies from ∼ 150 MHz to ∼ 700 MHz with different device diameters and saturates with bias voltage immediately after the device turn on. A new equivalent circuit model is developed to explain the frequency behavior of nBn photodetectors.

Narrow bandgap AlInAsSb for mid-infrared photodetectors.

Mid-IR is a useful wavelength range for both science and military applications due to its low atmospheric attenuation and ability to be used for passive detection. However, many solutions for detecting light in this spectral region need to be operated at cryogenic temperatures as their required narrow bandgaps suffer from carrier recombination and band-to-band tunneling at room temperature leading to high dark currents. These problems can be alleviated by using a separate absorption, charge, and multiplication avalanche photodiode.

Dynamic-quenching of a single-photon avalanche photodetector using an adaptive resistive switch.

One of the most common approaches for quenching single-photon avalanche diodes is to use a passive resistor in series with it. A drawback of this approach has been the limited recovery speed of the single-photon avalanche diodes. High resistance is needed to quench the avalanche, leading to slower recharging of the single-photon avalanche diodes depletion capacitor.

Near 100% external quantum efficiency 1550-nm broad spectrum photodetector.

We report InGaAs/InP based p-i-n photodiodes with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) above 98% from 1510 nm to 1575 nm. For surface normal photodiodes with a diameter of 80 µm, the measured 3-dB bandwidth is 3 GHz. The saturation current is 30.

Room-temperature bandwidth of 2-μm AlInAsSb avalanche photodiodes.

We investigate the room-temperature bandwidth performance of AlInAsSb avalanche photodiodes under 2-μm illumination. Parameter characterization denotes RC-limited performance. While measurements indicate a maximum gain-bandwidth product of 44 GHz for a 60-μm-diameter device, we scale this performance to smaller device sizes based on the RC response.

Photonic generation of pulsed microwave signals in the X-, Ku- and K-band.

Photonic microwave generation of high-power pulsed signals in the X-, Ku- and K-band using charge-compensated MUTC photodiodes is demonstrated. The impulse photoresponse without modulation showed a maximum peak voltage of 38.3 V and full-width at half-maximum of 30 ps.

Efficient absorption enhancement approaches for AlInAsSb avalanche photodiodes for 2-μm applications.

Recently, advances in imaging and LIDAR applications have stimulated the development of high-sensitivity receivers that operate at wavelengths of ≥ 2 µm, which has driven research on avalanche photodiodes (APDs) that operate in that spectral region. High quantum efficiency is a key performance parameter for these photodetectors. Increasing the thickness of the absorption region is a straightforward approach to increase the quantum efficiency.

Coherent optical clock down-conversion for microwave frequencies with 10 instability.

Optical atomic clocks are poised to redefine the Système International (SI) second, thanks to stability and accuracy more than 100 times better than the current microwave atomic clock standard. However, the best optical clocks have not seen their performance transferred to the electronic domain, where radar, navigation, communications, and fundamental research rely on less stable microwave sources. By comparing two independent optical-to-electronic signal generators, we demonstrate a 10-gigahertz microwave signal with phase that exactly tracks that of the optical clock phase from which it is derived, yielding an absolute fractional frequency instability of 1 × 10 in the electronic domain.

Triple-mesa avalanche photodiodes with very low surface dark current.

The dark current of a photodetector is a key parameter for high-sensitivity optical receivers. We report low-dark-current, triple-mesa avalanche photodiodes that have ~50 times lower dark current than conventional single-mesa devices, and suppress surface leakage. The tolerances of triple-mesa avalanche photodiode parameters are presented.

III-V on silicon avalanche photodiodes by heteroepitaxy.

We demonstrate a III-V avalanche photodiode (APD) grown by heteroepitaxy on silicon. This InGaAs/InAlAs APD exhibits low dark current, gain >20, external quantum efficiency >40%, and similar low excess noise, k∼0.2, as InAlAs APDs on InP.

AlInAsSb photodiodes with low avalanche breakdown temperature dependence.

We report AlInAsSb PIN and Separate Absorption, Charge and Multiplication (SACM) avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with high temperature stability. This work is based on measurements of avalanche breakdown voltage of these devices for temperatures between 223 K and 363 K. Breakdown voltage temperature coefficients are shown to be lower than those of APDs fabricated with other materials with comparable multiplication layer thicknesses.

Hybrid integration of modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes on a multi-layer silicon nitride platform using total reflection mirrors.

We demonstrate hybrid integration of modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes on a multi-layer silicon nitride platform using total reflection mirrors etched by focused ion beam. The hybrid photodetectors show external responsivity of 0.15 A/W and bandwidth of 3.

Breaking the buildup-time limit of sensitivity in avalanche photodiodes by dynamic biasing.

Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are the preferred photodetectors for direct-detection, high data-rate long-haul optical telecommunications. APDs can detect low-level optical signals due to their internal amplification of the photon-generated electrical current, which is attributable to the avalanche of electron and hole impact ionizations. Despite recent advances in APDs aimed at reducing the average avalanche-buildup time, which causes intersymbol interference and compromises receiver sensitivity at high data rates, operable speeds of commercially available APDs have been limited to 10Gbps.

Broadband noise limit in the photodetection of ultralow jitter optical pulses.

Applications with optical atomic clocks and precision timing often require the transfer of optical frequency references to the electrical domain with extremely high fidelity. Here we examine the impact of photocarrier scattering and distributed absorption on the photocurrent noise of high-speed photodiodes when detecting ultralow jitter optical pulses. Despite its small contribution to the total photocurrent, this excess noise can determine the phase noise and timing jitter of microwave signals generated by detecting ultrashort optical pulses.

Optical amplification and pulse interleaving for low-noise photonic microwave generation.

We investigate the impact of pulse interleaving and optical amplification on the spectral purity of microwave signals generated by photodetecting the pulsed output of an Er:fiber-based optical frequency comb. It is shown that the microwave phase noise floor can be extremely sensitive to delay length errors in the interleaver, and the contribution of the quantum noise from optical amplification to the phase noise can be reduced ∼10  dB for short pulse detection. We exploit optical amplification, in conjunction with high power handling modified unitraveling carrier photodetectors, to generate a phase noise floor on a 10 GHz carrier of -175  dBc/Hz, the lowest ever demonstrated in the photodetection of a mode-locked fiber laser.

InP-based waveguide photodiodes heterogeneously integrated on silicon-on-insulator for photonic microwave generation.

High-linearity modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes on silicon-on-insulator with low AM-to-PM conversion factor are demonstrated. The devices deliver more than 2.5 dBm RF output power up to 40 GHz and have an output third order intercept point of 30 dBm at 20 GHz.

High-power flip-chip mounted photodiode array.

Four-element modified uni-traveling-carrier (MUTC) photodiode arrays (PDA) flip-chip bonded onto transmission lines on AlN substrates are demonstrated. High RF output powers of 26.2 dBm and 21.

High-power high-linearity flip-chip bonded modified uni-traveling carrier photodiode.

We demonstrate a flip-chip bonded modified uni-traveling carrier (MUTC) photodiode with an RF output power of 0.75 W (28.8 dBm) at 15 GHz and OIP3 as high as 59 dBm.

Nanosphere natural lithography surface texturing as anti-reflective layer on SiC photodiodes.

Natural lithography with 100-nm-diameter SiO(2) spheres followed by inductively coupled plasma etching was used to texture the surface of 4H-SiC for a wide-spectrum large-acceptance-angle anti-reflective layer. The surface showed low normal-incidence reflectance of < 5% over a wide spectrum from 250 nm to 550 nm. Photodiodes fabricated from the surface-textured SiC showed broader spectral and angular responsivity than SiC photodiodes with SiO(2) antireflective coating.

High quantum efficiency GaP avalanche photodiodes.

Gallium Phosphide (GaP) reach-through avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are reported. The APDs exhibited dark current less than a pico-ampere at unity gain. A quantum efficiency of 70% was achieved with a recessed window structure; this is almost two times higher than previous work.