Germanium fin light-emitting diode

We propose a germanium fin light-emitting diode for a monolithic light source on a Si photonics chip. The germanium fins were fabricated by the oxidation condensation of silicon-germanium sidewalls epitaxially grown on silicon fins. We found that a tensile stress is applied to the pure germanium fins by the difference of the thermal expansion coefficient with that of the surrounding oxide. The electroluminescence spectra were consistent with those expected from direct recombination in germanium with a tensile stress. The strong immunity of germanium fins against high current densities would be favourable to achieve population inversions by electrical pumping. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3670053]