Abstract

An overview of SiGe/Si materials research and photonic device opportunities will be presented, highlighting some recent successes and the challenges ahead. Recent progress in Si-based architectures for potential optoelectronic device applications will be reviewed. Novel photonic devices will be discussed, illustrating the potential for SiGe integration with mainstream Si integrated circuits. Epitaxy at low temperatures (less than 600°C) permits the growth of highly strained Si_(1−x)Ge_(x)/Si multilayers. These exhibit unique optical and electrical properties characteristic of the alloy composition, the tetragonal distortion of the crystal lattice, and the periodicity in the growth direction. However, the built-in strain in SiGe/Si is both a blessing and a curse: band-structure tailoring is available but the penalties are a rigid critical-strain thickness limit and a modest thermal budget for processing.

© 1996 Optical Society of America