Amorphous-silicon visible-light detector integrated on silicon nitride waveguides

De Vita, C., Toso, F., Pruiti, N. G. , Klitis, C. , Ferrari, G., Sorel, M. , Melloni, A. and Morichetti, F. (2022) Amorphous-silicon visible-light detector integrated on silicon nitride waveguides. Optics Letters, 47(10), pp. 2598-2601. (doi: 10.1364/OL.455458) (PMID:35561410)

Abstract

Visible-light integrated photonics is emerging as a promising technology for the realization of optical devices for applications in sensing, quantum information and communications, imaging, and displays. Among the existing photonic platforms, high-index-contrast silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguides offer broadband transparency in the visible spectral range and a high scale of integration. As the complexity of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) increases, on-chip detectors are required to monitor their working point for reconfiguration and stabilization operations. In this Letter, we present a semi-transparent in-line power monitor integrated on Si3N4 waveguides that operates in the red-light wavelength range (660 nm). The proposed device exploits the photoconductivity of a hydrogenated amorphous-silicon (a-Si:H) film that is evanescently coupled to an optical waveguide. Experimental results show a responsivity of 30 mA/W, a sensitivity of –45 dBm, and a sub-µs time response. These features enable the use of the proposed photoconductor for high-sensitivity monitoring and control of visible-light Si3N4 PICs.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Klitis, Dr Charalambos and Sorel, Professor Marc and Pruiti, Mr Natale
• Authors: De Vita, C., Toso, F., Pruiti, N. G., Klitis, C., Ferrari, G., Sorel, M., Melloni, A., and Morichetti, F.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: Optics Letters
• Publisher: Optical Society of America
• ISSN: 0146-9592
• ISSN (Online): 1539-4794
• Published Online: 13 May 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 Optica Publishing Group
• First Published: First published in Optics Letters 47(10): 2598-2601
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
304171		Superpixel	Martin Lavery	European Commission (EC)	829116	ENG - Electronics & Nanoscale Engineering