Si/SiGe digital optoelectronic switch

The physical parameters and functional characteristics of a Si/SiGe digital optoelectronic switch are reported. The device is found to have bistable electrical states: a high-impedance (40 k Omega ) OFF state connected to a low-impedance (100 Omega ) ON state by a regime of negative differential resistance. The switching voltage and holding voltage are measured to be 2.6 and 1.3 V, respectively, and the switching current and holding current are measured to be 500 mu A and 1 mA, respectively. These DC characteristics are found to be similar to those measured in double heterostructure optoelectronic switching devices manifested in the AlGaAs/GaAs materials system. The DC characteristics of this Si/SiGe digital optoelectronic switch are also found to be sensitive to optical input and temperature.<
>