Sixteen-element Ge-on-SOI PIN photo-detector arrays for parallel optical interconnects

We describe the structure and testing of one-dimensional array parallel-optics photo-detectors with 16 photodiodes of which each diode operates up to 8 Gb/s. The single element is vertical and top illuminated 30-μm-diameter silicon on insulator (Ge-on-SOI) PIN photodetector. High-quality Ge absorption layer is epitaxially grown on SOI substrate by the ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHV-CVD). The photodiode exhibits a good responsivity of 0.20 A/W at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The dark current is as low as 0.36 μA at a reverse bias of 1 V, and the corresponding current density is about 51 mA/cm². The detector with a diameter of 30 μm is measured at an incident light of 1.55 μm and 0.5 mW, and the 3-dB bandwidth is 7.39 GHz without bias and 13.9 GHz at a reverse bias of 3 V. The 16 devices show a good consistency.