High-Power High-Linearity High-Speed Photodetection Modules

Optical links are very attractive for application in antenna systems due to their low loss, lightweight flexible cabling, immunity to electromagnetic interference, broad bandwidth, and overall ability to remote antennas over distances not possible with conventional electronic approaches. The main limitation in realizing this goal are the linearity and power handling of the optical components required to take advantage of the aforementioned features of optical fiber based links. This proposal specifically is intended to develop photodetectors to address this issue. To accomplish this, we will use state of the art high power photodetector designs combined with a novel Photonic Integration Circuit fabrication technology that enable multiple semiconductor materials to participate in the photonic circuit without the need for lattice matching or regrowth. This technology fundamentally reduces the tradeoffs in optimizing the thermal, electrical, and optical performance found in conventional PIC designs, yet it remains wafer scale, retaining the precision and volume scalability of such manufacturing processes. To harness the advantages of photonic solutions while retaining the SWaP performance of integrated circuits, the goal of this project is to design a chip scale, photonic integrated high-power high-speed photodetectors on a high performance, low cost platform based upon silicon photonics.