High-Performance III-V Photodetectors on Silicon for Integrated Optical Receivers

An attractive solution for improving the performance and C-SWaP (Cost, Size, Weight and Power) of next generation receivers is the integration of III-V photodiodes (PDs) directly with CMOS integrated circuits (ICs). This proposed effort will develop technology to demonstrate fully integrated III-V PDs on CMOS receiver modules compatible with wafer scale silicon manufacturing. As an intermediate step, tis program will demonstrate high performance photodiodes, hybrid integrated with high speed, high sensitivity receiver modules suitable for avionic applications.In this program, Aeluma will apply its heterogeneous integration technology to achieve the performance targets for multimode fiber links in aerospace and defense communications. The proposed effort will leverage Aeluma’s ability to produce high-performance compound semiconductor devices on non-native substrates, including up to 12-inch Silicon. Aeluma’s platform uniquely enables band engineering to achieve optimized performance for any wavelength range of interest in the Near Infrared (NIR) and Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) wavelength regions. Another advantage is the potential for large diameter (8-inch or 12-inch) Silicon manufacturing, facilitating advanced lithography, back-end integration, and wafer-scale CMOS compatibility. This is expected to improve electro-optic performance, reduce parasitic losses, enhance mechanical robustness, and decrease cost, size, weight, and power (C-SWaP). Aeluma will pursue several approaches for photodiode architecture and will work closely with its subcontractor team partner and its proven foundry partners. Our team is uniquely positioned to succeed in this SBIR Phase II program and deliver high performance mil-aero transceivers to the customer, by combining Aeluma’s high-performance, band-engineered, and scalable photodetector technology with our team partner’s expertise in transceiver architecture, IC design, and subassembly integration.