Ultrashort free-carrier lifetime in low-loss silicon nanowaveguides.
We demonstrate reduction of the free-carrier lifetime in a silicon nanowaveguide from 3 ns to 12.2 ps by applying a reverse bias across an integrated p-i-n diode. This observation represents the shortest free-carrier lifetime demonstrated to date in silicon waveguides. Importantly, the presence of the p-i-n structure does not measurably increase the propagation loss of the waveguide. We derive a figure of merit demonstrating equal dependency of the nonlinear phase shift on free-carrier lifetime and linear propagation loss.
Turner-Foster
Amy C
AC
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Foster
Mark A
MA
Levy
Jacob S
JS
Poitras
Carl B
CB
Salem
Reza
R
Gaeta
Alexander L
AL
Lipson
Michal
M
D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D004579:Electron Transport; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008027:Light; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012666:Semiconductors; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*
D012825:Silicon