Modifying germanium to achieve efficient light emission holds great potential in the field of silicon-based light sources. We propose a method of introducing stress by repeatedly etching trenches and filling them with silicon nitride (SiN). By combining germanium tin (GeSn) alloys with an external stress layer of SiN, efficient modification of germanium is achieved. We performed process and device simulations on the structure, and the results showed that ∼0.8 GPa of biaxial tensile stress was introduced into the active region of the light-emitting diode, with a peak wavelength of 2200 nm and a maximum photoelectric conversion efficiency of about 5%. The device structure we proposed provides an effective solution for realizing silicon-based integrated light sources.
Ge has become a focus in the development of optoelectronic devices integrated into silicon platforms due to its compatibility with standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. To reduce the bandgap of Ge, thereby enhancing its optical properties and accelerating the development of CMOS-compatible silicon-based germanium light sources, we propose a strained Ge LED with a microbridge structure. By etching two isosceles triangles with opposite apexes on the Ge layer and utilizing the edge stress concentration, the ideal tensile strain is achieved at the edge of the microbridge. Simulation results show that the Ge LED exhibits a peak wavelength of 1960 nm and a maximum electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 1.6%. Finally, this single structure is expanded into a ring-shaped array to increase the area of stress concentration. Simulation results show that the Ge LED array exhibits a peak wavelength of 1790 nm and a maximum electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 1.45%.
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