Silicon Light Emitting Devices in CMOS Technology

Two silicon light emitting devices with different structures are realized in standard 0.35μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. They operate in reverse breakdown mode and can be turned on at 8.3V. Output optical powers of 13.6nW and 12.1nW are measured at 10V and 100mA, respectively, and both the calculated light emission intensities are more than 1mW/cm². The optical spectra of the two devices are between 600--790nm with a clear peak near 760nm.