Abstract

The future success of guided-wave optoelectronic circuits relies on the development of efficeint photodetectors. In conventional photodetector designs the absorbing layer is grown directly adjacent to the waveguide core and the transfer of energy proceeds by evanescent field coupling.^1,2,3 This strategy leads, however, to small detector absorption coefficients and hence long detector lengths for high quantum efficiency, typically 100µm or more, with a concomitant increase in the device capacitance and slow frequency response.^2,3 Reducing the detector length is therefore a key issue in the development of efficient waveguide photodetectors.

© 1993 Optical Society of America