Performance Assessment of Ge-on-SOI-photodetector / Si-CMOS Receivers for High-Speed Optical Communications

This paper provides an assessment of the performance capabilities of infrared detectors and receivers using Ge-on- silicon-on-insulator (Ge-on-SOI) photodiodes and CMOS ICs. An overview of our recent results on these detectors is given, and an estimate of their performance capabilities based upon an optimized layer structure design is described. We also provide an overview of high-performance receivers that utilize Ge-on- SOI photodiodes paired with Si CMOS amplifier ICs, and describe the materials and integration challenges needed to be overcome in order to develop a full monolithically-integrated technology.