P-209L: Late-News Poster: An All-CMOS Microdisplay Utilizing Integrated Novel Avalanche Light-Emitting Sources

CMOS offers the advantage of large scale functional integration into small form factor integrated circuits. Current mainstream display technologies such as OLEDs and LCDs dominate the market for small displays. The possibility, however, of extending microdisplay capabilities to CMOS may be useful for a number of reasons. Although CMOS is certainly not the dominating semiconductor for photonics, the platform may offer advantages in terms of cost and the ability to integrate driver and logic circuitry on a single die. This, together with the technology maturity and long standing manufacturing experience, may result in a potent platform for microdisplays. Advances in improving the quantum efficiency of avalanche electroluminescence and the favourable spectral characteristics of light generated through the said mechanism may afford CMOS the possibility to be used as a display technology. This work shows that it is possible to integrate a fully functional display in a completely standard CMOS technology, utilizing avalanche electroluminescence for visible light. The prototype was designed and manufactured in a standard process geared towards digital design while using light sources completely compatible with the process and without any post processing required.