Development of Superlattices for Ultra High-Speed Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices
Abstract
The remarkable advances in computation and communications technologies in the last half century have been made possible by the invention and development of a vast array of solid state electronic and optical devices. By striving to achieve higher speeds of operation, and greater levels of integration, ever more powerful computing and communications tools have been created. The transistor, the laser and a host of other devices have been invented and reinvented many times in a multitude of materials systems. As materials growth and fabrication technologies continue to improve, it becomes possible to use new physical phenomena in solid state devices, in addition to optimizing the performance of existing devices. Optical interconnects are attracting attention as a means to overcome the interconnection bottleneck in high speed electronic systems. The best type of light source for such schemes is sometimes a continuous-wave laser used in conjunction with a light modulator, which acts as an external switch. Modulators that operate in perpendicular geometry, with light directed normal to the plane of the device, allow simple fabrication of two-dimensional arrays: these are of interest for multiple parallel optical interconnections and for optical information processing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 31, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA209874
Entities
People
- James S. Harris
Organizations
- Stanford University