Introduction to

Optoelectronic Devices
Dr. Jing Bai
Assistant Professor

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Minnesota Duluth

November 02, 2010

1
Outline
 What is the optoelectronics?
 Major optoelectronic devices
 Current trend on optoelectronic
devices
 Nanoscale optoelectronic devices

2
What Did the Word “Opto-
Electronics” Mean?
 Optoelectronics is the study and application of
electronic devices that interact with light

Electronics Optics

(electrons) (light or photons)

Optoelectronics
3
Examples of Optoelectronic Devices

4
Major Optoelectronic Devices
─ Direct Conversion Between Electrons and Photons
 Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
(display, lighting,···)
 Laser diodes (LDs)
(data storage, telecommunication, ···)
 Photodiodes (PDs)
(telecommunication, ··· )
 Solar Cells
(energy conversion)

5
Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Light-emitting diode (LED) is a

semiconductor diode that emits
incoherent narrow-spectrum light
when electrically biased in the
forward direction of the p-n junction. 6
Photon Emission in Semiconductor

Conduction When an electron meets a

band hole, it falls into a lower
energy level, and releases
EC Photon energy in the form of a
Eg photon.
EF
The wavelength of the light
EV depends on the band gap
of the semiconductor
Valence material
band

Semiconductor materials: Si, Ge, GaAs, InGaAs, AlGaAs, InP, SiGe, etc
7
Operation Principle of LED

8
Semiconductor Materials vs.
LED Color
General Brightness

GaP GaN GaAs GaAIAs --

Green, Red Blue Red, Infrared Red, Infrared --

Super Brightness

GaAIAs GaAsP GaN InGaN GaP

Red Red, Yellow Blue Green Green

Ultra Brightness

GaAIAs InGaAIP GaN InGaN --

Red Red, Yellow, Orange Blue Green --

9
Application of LEDs
 Display
 Solid-state lighting

 Communication

 Remote control, etc

LED lights on an Audi S6

10
Laser Diodes (LDs)
Lasers (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission)

Photon emission processes:

Absorption Spontaneous emission Stimulated emission

Photodetectors LEDs Lasers
11
Laser Cavity Design

12
Photo Diodes (PDs)

A photodiode is a semiconductor diode that functions as a

photodetector. It is a p-n junction or p-i-n structure. When a
photon of sufficient energy strikes the diode, it excites an
electron thereby creating a mobile electron and a positively
charged electron hole
13
Operation Principle of a PD

14
PDs’ Detection Range and Materials

Material Wavelength range (nm)

Silicon (Si) 190–1100

Germanium (Ge) 400–1700

Indium gallium arsenide 800–2600

(InGaAs)

Lead sulfide (PbS) <1000-3500

15
Solar Energy Spectrum

Solar radiation outside

the earth’s surface:
1.35 kW/m2, 6500 times
larger than world’s
energy demand

Spectrum of the solar energy

AM0: radiation above the earth’s atmosphere
AM1.5: radiation at the earth’s surface 16
Blackbody radiation: ideal radiation
Vision of Solar Cells (Photovoltaics)
Why solar cells?
Solar Energy • Free
• Essentially Unlimited
• Not Localized

Solar Cells
• Direct Conversion of Sunlight  Electricity
• No Pollution
• No Release of Greenhouse-effect Gases
• No Waste or Heat Disposal Problems
• No Noise Pollution — very few or no
moving parts
• No transmission losses — on-Site
Installation

17
Operation Principle of Solar Cells

18
Residential and Commercial Applications

Challenges:
cost reduction via: a) economy of scales b) building integration and
19
c) high efficiency cells
Trends in optoelectronic devices
 Long wavelength, high power light sources or
photodetectors
 Nanoscale devices
 Low cost, easy fabricated materials
 High opto-electronic conversion efficiency
 Multi-wavelength sources

— nanoscale optoelectronic devices

20
 How Small Is The Nano-Scale?

A human hair is 50,000 – 80,000 nanometers wide

and grows ~10 nm every second (~600 nm every minute)21
 Semiconductor Nanostructures

Quantum wells Nanowire

Quantum dots

22
Buckyball
Carbon Nanotubes (CNT)
Quantum Cascade Lasers  MIR Light Emission

Sun Part of the Spectrum

Wave Length (µm)

20.0

30.0

40.0
10.0

50.0
3.0
0.4

0.7
0.6

1.5
0.3

0.5

2.0
UV VIS NIR MIR (3~30 µm) (FIR)

The wavelength of quantum cascades laser lies in

the mid-Infrared (MIR) region (3~30 µm)
Many chemical gases have strong absorption in
mid-infrared region, such as CO,NH3,, NO, SO2,, etc. 23
 Quantum-Cascade Laser (QCL)

ħω Cross Section of a QCL: Note

that the layer thickness is
ħω smaller than the wavelength
One layer
ħω
Electric field

Cascade effects

One electron emits N

photons to generate high
output power
Typically 20-50 stages make
up a single quantum 10mm
cascade laser
24

Dime coin Quantum cascade laser

Applications of QCL
 Environmental sensing and pollution monitoring
 Industrial process control
 Automotive
– Combustion control, catalytic converter diagnostics
– Collision avoidance radar, cruise control
 Medical applications
– Breath analysis; early detection of ulcers, colon cancer, etc.
 Military and law enforcement

25
QCL for gas detection
Quantum-Dot Solar Cells
Au grid bar

200 nm n+ GaAs

30 nm n GaInP
100 nm n GaAs
0.5 µm intrinsic Si: GaAs
region containing Si: GaAs
50 layers of Si: GaAs
quantum dot layers Si: GaAs
100 nm p GaAs

p+ GaAs substrate

Au contact

26
Plasmonic Solar Cells

H. A. Atwater and A. Polman, Nature Materials, Vol 9, March 2010

27