Project description
Integration of optically active material for silicon photonic applications
Optical and electronic devices based on III-V semiconductors are currently gaining market share and the production of Gallium Nitride III-V semiconductor wafers has increased with sizes reaching 2”-6”. Yet, this is still short of the 8”-12” which is common in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Integrating III-V semiconductors on a silicon or silicon-on-insulator wafer to combine electronic and photonic applications and allow photonic technologies to take advantage of the highly developed silicon CMOS technology has been a long-standing goal. The EU-funded ENUF project aims to combine two different epitaxial growth methods to achieve low-cost integration of III-V-on-insulator structures on a large-area silicon substrate and establish them as a replacement for existing III-V deposition methods. The new methods would also enable the low-cost integration of optically active materials for silicon photonic applications.
Objective
As the worldwide photonics market is increasing and optical and electronic devices based on III-V semiconductors are gaining market segment, the production of III-V semiconductor wafers including GaN has increased in volume and sizes have increased from 2” to 6”. However, this is still short of the 8”-12” common in Silicon CMOS technology. Furthermore, the integration of III-Vs on silicon or on-insulator, has been a long-standing goal for the past 50 years, in order to combine electronic and photonic applications, and to allow photonic technologies to take advantage of the highly developed silicon CMOS technology, thereby opening up for vast new application opportunities. The aim of ENUF is for the first time to attempt to combine two different growth methods to achieve a low-cost integration of large-area III-V on insulator on a silicon platform, and to establish this as a replacement technology for existing III-V wafer production or to enable low-cost integration of optically active material as enabling technology for silicon photonic applications. The method can also be adapted to GaN on Si or on insulator for low-cost high-volume production of high power electronics and light emitting devices.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept GrantHost institution
8803 Rueschlikon
Switzerland