Electroluminescence of p-Ge/i-Ge/n-Si heterojunction PIN LEDs

A PIN light emitting diode (LED) was fabricated from a p-Ge/i-Ge/n-Si heterojunction structure grown by using rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition. The structural properties of the p-Ge/i-Ge/n-Si heterojunction structure were investigated using high-resolution X-ray diffraction. Specifically, recent advances in the dry etching of the p-Ge/i-Ge/n-Si heterojunction structure were used to define PIN LED p-Ge/i-Ge layer mesas. The I-V characteristic of the PIN LED indicate a reasonable reverse saturation current of 96 μA at - 1 V and a high reverse breakdown voltage in excess of - 100 V. The roll-off in the electroluminescence spectrum above a wavelength of 1700 nm is thought to the decreased emission in the p-Ge/i-Ge/n-Si pin LED at room temperature.