RESUMO
In this paper, we present the design of a silicon optoelectronic device capable of speeding up processing capabilities. The data in this device are electronic, while the modulation control is optical. It can be used as a building block for the development of optical data processing by silicon-based processors based on typical microelectronics manufacturing processes. A V-groove-based structure fabricated as part of the device allows obtaining enhanced sensitivity to the polarization of the photonic control signal and thus allows obtaining a polarization-sensitive modulator.
RESUMO
Ultra-fast electrical switches activated with an optical-polarized light trigger, also called photo-polarized activated electrical switches, are presented. A set of new transistor circuits is switched by light from above, illuminating deep V-grooves, whose angle is sensitive to the polarization of the incident. Thus, this application may serve for encryption/decryption devices since the strongest electrical responsivity is only obtained for very specific spatial polarization directions of the illumination beam. When this V-groove is sufficiently narrow, the device mainly responds to one polarization and not to the other. In such a way, electrons are generated only for one specific polarization. While the nature of the data remains electronic, the modulation control is optic, creating a photo-induced current depending on the polarization direction. This coupled device acts as a polarization modulator as well as an intensity modulator. The article focuses on the integration of several devices in different configurations of circuitry: dual, triple, and multi-element. Case studies of several adjacent devices are presented with varying critical variables, such as the V-groove aperture dimensions. Analytical models and complementary numerical analyses are presented for the future smooth integration into Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) technology.
