Higher Intensity SiAvLEDs in an RF Bipolar Process Through Carrier Energy and Carrier Momentum Engineering

Carrier energy and momentum engineering design concepts have been utilized to realize higher intensity, up to 200 nW.mu m-2 in p+nn+silicon avalanche-based LEDs in a silicon 0.35-mu m RF bipolar process. The spectral range is from 600- to 850-nm wavelength region. Best performance are up to 600-nW vertical emission in a 3-mu m square active area at 10 V and 1 mA (200 nW.um-2). The achieved emitted optical intensity is about 100 fold better as compared with other published work for nearest related devices. In particular, evidence has been obtained that light emission in silicon are strongly related to scattering mechanisms in a high density n+ dopant matrix of phosphorous atoms in silicon that has been exposed to successive thermal cycles, as well on the optimization of the carrier energy and momentum distributions during such interactions.