AIP Advances (Aug 2019)

Photovoltaic field effect transistor (PVFET)-based Ge/Si photodetector for low-power silicon photonics

  • Q. Y. Zeng,
  • Z. X. Pan,
  • Z. H. Zeng,
  • J. C. Liu,
  • X. Y. Liu,
  • Z. T. Chen,
  • Z. Gong

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5100039
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 8
pp. 085226 – 085226-7

Abstract

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We propose a Ge/Si photodetector based upon photovoltaic field effect transistor (PVFET) for low-power silicon photonics. The device realizes detection by modulating the conductivity of the FET channel through photo-induced gate voltage, exhibiting ultra-high responsivity. The responsivity can reach about 104 A/W at operating voltages lower than 1.5 V. Furthermore, its light-to-dark (on/off) current ratio and temporal response characteristics are studied numerically. A maximum on/off ratio up to 193 can be obtained by optimizing the doping concentration of Ge gate.