ECE-305: Spring 2016

Optoelectronic Devices
Professor Mark Lundstrom
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
lundstro@purdue.edu

Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals (SDF)

pp. 347-368
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3/22/16
 Objective
§  Explain that there are two types of optoelectronic
devices.

§  Differentiate a solar cell vs. photodetector

§  Differentiate PIN vs. avalanche photodetectors

§  Differentiate LED vs. lasers

§  Explain why you can make a Si photodetector, but not a

Si laser.
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 OE devices

1)  Photodiodes (SDF, pp. 349-352)

2)  PIN photodiodes (SDF, pp. 352-355)
3)  Avalanche photodetectors (SDF, pp. 355-356)
4)  LED’s (SDF, pp. 361-368)
5)  Lasers
6)  Solid state lights
7)  Solar cells (SDF, pp. 356-361)

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 Classification

1) Light to electricity 2) Electricity to light

Solar cell LEDs

Si, CdTe Blue, Green, Red
Solid state light
Photodetector
PIN, Avalanche Lasers
CCD, CMOS Pointer, fiber optics

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 Wavelength vs. Bandgap energy

1) Light to electricity
λ ( µm ) = 1.24 EG ( eV )

5525 K blackbody spectrum

2) Electricity to light

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Photo-detectors

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 PIN photodiodes

N+ P+

i-Semiconductor

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 PIN photodiodes

Fp
EC
q (Vbi + VR )

ID
EC

Fn

EV +VR −

x
 Avalanche PIN photodiodes

EC

Fp
q (Vbi + VR )

ID
EC

Fn

EV
+VR −
x
 Classification

1) Light to electricity 2) Electricity to light

Solar cell LEDs

Si, CdTe Blue, Green, Red
Solid state light
Photodetector
PIN, Avalanche Lasers
CCD, CMOS Pointers, fiber optics

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 LED’s

N+ P

E = hf = EG

number of photons per sec out τ nr

QE = =
number of electrons per sec in τ nr + τ r

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Wavelength vs. Bangap energy

λ ( µm ) = 1.24 EG ( eV )

2) Electricity to light

5525 K blackbody spectrum

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 Determine Eg for color …
Red (0.65 𝜇𝑚);  Green (0.57 𝜇𝑚);      Blue (0.45 𝜇𝑚)

What innovation in LED was honored with the 2014 Nobel

Prize in physics?
 Classification

1) Light to electricity 2) Electricity to light

Solar cell LEDs

Si, CdTe Blue, Green, Red
Solid state light
Photodetector
PIN, Avalanche Lasers
CCD, CMOS, Leaf Pointers, fiber optics

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 lasers

A laser is not a bright LED

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 lasers
Δn
i) Spontaneous recombination: Rr =
τr
N+ P P
+

R = 100%
Fabry-Perot cavity
R = 99.9% ii) Stimulated recombination (Einstein)
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 Summary

Optoelectronics is an important field – has implications

for energy, communications, physics, medicine, etc.

Simple p-n junction physics explains most of the

phenomena; lasers require one additional equation for
light intensity.

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