Ultra compact 45 GHz CMOS compatible Germanium waveguide photodiode with low dark current

We present a compact 1.3 x 4 mu m(2) Germanium waveguide photodiode, integrated in a CMOS compatible silicon photonics process flow. This photodiode has a best-in-class 3 dB cutoff frequency of 45 GHz, responsivity of 0.8 A/W and dark current of 3 nA. The low intrinsic capacitance of this device may enable the elimination of transimpedance amplifiers in future optical data communication receivers, creating ultra low power consumption optical communications. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America