Spectral characteristics of Si light emitting diodes in a 0.8 μm BiCMOS technology

M. du Plessis, H. Aharoni, L. W. Snyman

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

It is well known that silicon diodes biased in the avalanche breakdown region of operation emits visible light. Silicon light sources in monolithic optoelectronic systems will only be used on a large scale if the devices can be easily integrated with other circuits in the standard VLSI technology. This paper investigates the spectral properties of silicon diode light sources in a 0.8 μm BiCMOS technology. The light sources include both avalanche and field emission breakdown devices, and it is shown that the breakdown mechanism has a significant effect on the spectral properties of the diodes. The emitted light patterns as defined by the layout also play a role, and evidence is provided that point sources have more long wavelength emission than line sources. The emission originating from bulk diodes, e.g. the buried layer, is also compared to the emission from surface-dominated junctions, and a definite shift in spectra towards longer wavelengths is observed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages228-231
Number of pages4
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1999
Externally publishedYes
EventProceedings of the 1998 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices - Perth, WA, Aust
Duration: 14 Dec 199816 Dec 1998

Conference

ConferenceProceedings of the 1998 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices
CityPerth, WA, Aust
Period14/12/9816/12/98

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

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