SBIR Phase I: Low-Cost Avalanche Photodiodes

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will describe the design, fabrication and delivery of a novel, high-yield, low-cost planar InAlAs avalanche photodiode that is suitable for communications applications. The team will design, fabricate and test a 50-um-diameter avalanche photodetector. Avalanche photodiodes for communications applications are much higher cost components than conventional p-i-n photodiodes. The fabrication process used in this program will enable low-cost, high yield manufacturing of avalanche photodiodes with excellent device uniformity. The unique features of the component design of this program will enable planar, reliable devices with low excess-noise factor and high gain-bandwidth products and high quantum efficiency. The results of the devices developed under this program will enhance the state-of the- art in reliable low-cost avalanche photodiodes for fiber optic communications. The market size for optical and electronic transmission components was over $1 billion in 2003 and is projected to exceed $1.6 billion by 2008. The optical component market segment will grow from $368.7 million in 2003 to $530 million in 2008. Avalanche photodiodes account for approximately half of the revenue for detector components for communications and account for only a fraction of the total detector unit volume.