Characterization and optimization of a blue-enhanced honeycomb optical sensor

A honeycomb photodetector architecture is proposed for low-cost CMOS-compatible blue-enhanced sensing applications. In this paper, a physical model is developed to characterize the responsivity of honeycomb photodetectors. The model is then used to determine the optimum honeycomb physical dimensions for maximum responsivity and quantum efficiency. To implement the model in a real application, a test chip with honeycomb structures is designed, fabricated, and characterized using a commercial 0.35 pm standard CMOS process through Austria Micro Systems (AMS). Based on measured data, the optimal honeycomb structure in this fabrication process improves the quantum efficiency by 63% at 375 nm wavelength.