Researches on integrated waveguide photo-detectors and resonant cavity-enhanced light sources for silicon photonics platform

Abstract

In this thesis, I investigate the integrated light emitting and detecting devices by using waveguide structures and discuss various nanophotonics approaches for the miniaturization of light sources. Silicon waveguide photo-detectors are investigated to absorb near- and sub-bandgap light and amplify photo-generated carriers by photon-assisted tunneling and avalanche multiplication effects, respectively. By taking advantages of employing highly doped PN junction in silicon waveguide, an enhancement of both impurity-assisted spontaneous emission and thermal radiation can be achieved in forward and reverse bias operation, respectively. Integrated planar silicon optical active channels are realized by co-integrating the light emitting and detecting devices along a silicon-on-insulator waveguide. Moreover, in order to miniaturize the light emitting devices with cavity-enhanced emission, we study various nanophotonic devices including hybrid metal-Bragg cavities, metal-optic nanopatch cavities. I believe the integrated active optical channels with nanophotonics approaches can be applicable to various applications such as bio-, medical-, and chemical-sensors and integrated optical interconnection applications in silicon photonics platforms.