PHOTODETECTOR WITH INTEGRATED TEMPERATURE CONTROL ELEMENT

• US 20170092785A1
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Coriant Advanced Technology, Llc (Infinera Corp.)
• Inventors: Labarrie, Jean Claude, Novack, Ari, Shi, Ruizhi
• Granted Patent: US 9,871,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/345 Arrangements for heating thermal treatment apparatus H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14 including semiconductor components sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation radiation-sensitive components structurally associated with one or more electric light sources only H01L31/14; couplings of light guides with optoelectronic elements G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1443 with at least one potential jump or surface barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/024 Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation for photovoltaic devices H01L31/052
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/028 including, apart from doping material or other impurities, only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1808 including only Ge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/204 including AIVBIV alloys, e.g. SiGe, SiC
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 19/00 Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one thermoelectric or thermomagnetic element covered by groups H10N10/00 - H10N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells

Abstract

A temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system is described. The temperature control element allows the operation of the photodetector at a desired temperature. The temperature control element can be a heater or a cooler. In some cases, the photodetector is a germanium photodetector. In some cases a temperature measuring device is provided. In some cases, a control circuit is used to control the temperature of the germanium photodetector within a temperature range, or at a temperature of interest. An advantage provided by the apparatus described is the operation of the photodetector so that the responsivity of the germanium detector can be held at essentially a constant value.

Claims

1. A temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system, comprising:

a photodetector located on a substrate, wherein said photodetector has at least one first edge; and

a temperature control element located on said substrate, and said temperature control element has a second edge situated proximate said at least one first edge of said photodetector.

2. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, wherein said photodetector is a germanium photodetector.

3. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, wherein said temperature control element is a selected one of a heater and a cooler.

4. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, wherein said second edge of said temperature control element is situated within a distance of less than 10 microns from said at least one first edge of said photodetector.

5. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, wherein said second edge of said temperature control element is situated within a distance of less than 50 microns from said at least one first edge of said photodetector.

6. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, wherein said temperature control element is a Peltier device.

7. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, further comprising a thermal measurement device situated proximate to said photodetector.

8. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, in combination with a control circuit.

9. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 8, wherein said temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system in combination with said control circuit is configured in a control loop selected from the group consisting of a feedforward control loop and a feedback control loop.

10. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, wherein said temperature control element comprises a selected one of a plurality of heaters and a plurality of coolers.

11. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 10, wherein two of said selected one of said plurality of heaters and said plurality of coolers are situated on opposite sides of said photodetector.

12. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, wherein the temperature control element is a resistive heater.

13. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 1, further comprising a signal barrier between said photodetector and said temperature control element.

14. The temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 13, wherein said signal barrier is a p-n-p-n junction.

15. A method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system, wherein said photodetector is located on a substrate, said photodetector having at least one first edge, and said temperature control element is also located on said substrate, said temperature control element having a second edge situated proximate to said first edge of said photodetector;

the method comprising the steps of;

operating said photodetector to detect illumination, and

operating said temperature control element to control a temperature of said photodetector within a temperature range between a defined minimum temperature and a defined maximum temperature.

16. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 15, wherein said photodetector is a germanium photodetector.

17. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 15, wherein said temperature control element is a selected one of a heater and a cooler.

18. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 15, wherein said temperature control element is a Peltier device.

19. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 15, further comprising the steps of providing a control circuit in combination with said photodetector, and operating said control circuit.

20. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 19, wherein said control circuit in combination with said photodetector are configured in a control loop selected from the group consisting of a feedforward control loop and a feedback control loop.

21. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 15, wherein said temperature control element on said substrate comprises a selected one of a plurality of heaters and a plurality of coolers.

22. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 21, wherein two of said plurality of heaters and said plurality of coolers are situated on opposite sides of said photodetector.

23. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 15, wherein the defined minimum temperature is 0°

C.

24. The method of operating a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 15, wherein the defined maximum temperature is 90°

C.

25. A method of making a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system, comprising the steps of:

fabricating a photodetector located on a substrate, wherein said photodetector has at least one first edge; and

fabricating a temperature control element on said substrate, said temperature control element having a second edge situated proximate to said first edge of said photodetector.

26. The method of making a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 25, wherein said photodetector is a germanium photodetector.

27. The method of making a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 25, wherein said temperature control element is a selected one of a heater and a cooler.

28. The method of making a temperature-controlled photodetector sub-system of claim 25, wherein said second edge of said temperature control element is less than 10 microns from said at least one first edge of said photodetector.