Silicon-based Microphotonics: from Basics to Applications

Book excerpt: The evolution of Si-based optoelectronics has been extremely fast in the last few years and it is predicted that this growth will still continue in the near future. The aim of the volume is to present different Si-based luminescing materials as porous silicon, rare-earth doped silicon, Si nanocrystals, silicides, Si-based multilayers and silicon-germanium alloy or superlattice structures. The different devices needed for an all-Si-based optoelectronics are treated, ranging from light sources to waveguides, from amplifiers and modulators to detectors. Both the very basic treatments as well as applications to real prototype devices and integration in an optical integrated circuit are presented. Several issues are highlighted: the problem of electrical transport in low-dimensional Si systems, the possibility of gain in Si-based systems, the low modulation speed of Si-based LEDs. The book gives a fascinating picture of the state-of-the-art in Si microphotonics and a perspective on what one can expect in the near future.