Random telegraph noise from resonant tunnelling at low temperatures.

The Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) in an advanced Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) is considered to be triggered by just one electron or one hole, and its importance is recognised upon the aggressive scaling. However, the detailed nature of the charge trap remains to be investigated due to the difficulty to find out the exact device, which shows the RTN feature over statistical variations. Here, we show the RTN can be observed from virtually all devices at low temperatures, and provide a methodology to enable a systematic way to identify the bias conditions to observe the RTN. We found that the RTN was observed at the verge of the Coulomb blockade in the stability diagram of a parasitic Single-Hole-Transistor (SHT), and we have successfully identified the locations of the charge traps by measuring the bias dependence of the RTN.

Silicon slot fin waveguide on bonded double-SOI for a low-power accumulation modulator fabricated by an anisotropic wet etching technique.

We propose a new low VπL, fully-crystalline, accumulation modulator design based on a thin horizontal gate oxide slot fin waveguide, on bonded double Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI). A combination of anisotropic wet etching and the mirrored crystal alignment of the top and bottom SOI layers allows us for the first time to selectively pattern the bottom layer from above. Simulations presented herein show a VπL = 0.17Vcm. Fin-waveguides and passive Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) devices with fin-waveguide phase shifters have been fabricated, with the fin-waveguides having a transmission loss of 5.8dB/mm and a 13.5nm thick internal gate oxide slot.

Ultrahigh-Q photonic crystal cavities in silicon rich nitride.

Ultrahigh-Q Photonic Crystal cavities were realized in a suspended Silicon Rich Nitride (SiNx) platform for applications at telecom wavelengths. Using a line width modulated cavity design we achieved a simulated Q of 520,000 with a modal volume of 0.77(λ/n)3. The fabricated cavities were measured using the resonance scattering technique and we demonstrated a measured Q of 120,000. The experimental spectra at different input power also indicate that the non-linear losses are negligible in this material platform.

Enhanced light emission from improved homogeneity in biaxially suspended Germanium membranes from curvature optimization.

A silicon compatible light source is crucial to develop a fully monolithic silicon photonics platform. Strain engineering in suspended Germanium membranes has offered a potential route for such a light source. However, biaxial structures have suffered from poor optical properties due to unfavorable strain distributions. Using a novel geometric approach and finite element modelling (FEM) structures with improved strain homogeneity were designed and fabricated. Micro-Raman (µ-Raman) spectroscopy was used to determine central strain values. Micro-photoluminescence (µ-PL) was used to study the effects of the strain profiles on light emission; we report a PL enhancement of up to 3x by optimizing curvature at a strain value of 0.5% biaxial strain. This geometric approach offers opportunity for enhancing the light emission in Germanium towards developing a practical on chip light source.