Electronics Engineering and Optical Electronics

Electrical Communication Department

Lecture 5

Dr. Fatma G. Hashad

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 CHAPTER 3
OPTICAL SOURCES
for
FIBER OPTIC COMMUNICATION

Light Emitting Diode

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❑ CHAPTER OUTLINES

o Basic LED Operation.

o LED Structure.
o LED Configurations.
o LED power and efficiency.
o Advantages and drawbacks of LED.
o Problems.

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 LIGHT EMITTING DIODES

(a) The energy band diagram of a pn+ (heavily n-type doped) junction without any bias.
Built-in potential Vo prevents electrons from diffusing from n+ to p side. (b) The applied bias
potential V reduces Vo and thereby allows electrons to diffuse, be injected, into the p-side.
Recombination around the junction and within the diffusion length of the electrons in the p-
side leads to spontaneous photon emission. (c) Quasi-Fermi levels EFp and EFn for holes and
electrons across a forward biased pn-junction.
 Semiconductor Heterostructures
Herbert Kroemer (left), along with Zhores Alferov (See
Ch. 4), played a key role in the development of
semiconductor heterostructuctures that are widely
used in modern optoelectronics. Herbert Kroemer was
also well-recognized for his experimental work on the
fabrication of heterostructures by using an atomic
layer-by-layer crystal growth technique called
Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE); the equipment shown
behind Professor Kroemer in the photo. Since 1976,
Professor Kroemer has been with the University of
California, Santa Barbara where he continues his
research. Herbert Kroemer and Zhores Alferov shared
the Nobel Prize in Physics (2000) with Jack Kilby.
Their Nobel citation is "for developing semiconductor
heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-
electronics" (Courtesy of Professor Herbert Kroemer,
University of California, Santa Barbara)
See H. Kroemer, Rev. Mod. Phys., 73, 783, 2001
 HETEROJUNCTIONS

Two types of heterojunction and the definitions of band offsets, Type I and Type II between
two semiconductor crystals 1 and 2. Crystal 1 has a narrower bandgap Eg1 than Eg2 for
crystal 2. Note that the semiconductors are not in contact so that the Fermi level in each is
different. In this example, crystal 1 (GaAs) is p-type and crystal 2 (AlGaAs) is N-type.
Np heterojunction energy band diagram.

Under open circuit and equilibrium conditions, the Fermi level EF must be uniform, i.e.
continuous throughout the device. If EF is close to the conduction band (CB) edge, Ec, it results
in an n-type, and if it is close to the valence band (VB) edge, Ev, it results in a p-type
semiconductor. There is a discontinuity Ec in Ec , and Ev in Ev , right at the junction.
pP heterojunction energy band diagram.

(Schematic only to illustrate general features). Under open circuit and equilibrium conditions,
the Fermi level EF must be uniform, i.e. continuous throughout the device. If EF is close to the
conduction band (CB) edge, Ec , it results in an n-type, and if it is close to the valence band
(VB) edge, Ev, it results in a p-type semiconductor. There is a discontinuity Ec in Ec, and Ev
in Ev, right at the junction.
❑ Double Heterojunction Type
▪ When a layer of material with a lower bandgap energy
is sandwiched between layers of material with a
higher energy bandgap a double heterojunction is
formed.
▪ This is called a double heterojunction because there
are two heterojunctions present - one on each side of
the active material.

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❑ Spontaneous Emission :
▪ The recombination is spontaneous (emit incoherent light- random generation of photons
due to lack of a fixed phase relationship ) within the active layer of the LED and the
spectral outputs have a relatively wide wavelength bandwidth of between 30 – 40 nm.

 = hc/Eg = 1.24/ Eg

The bandgap energy Eg of the LED Emitted wavelength depends on

bandgap energy
Eg= hc/
Where:
h = Plank's Constant = 4.13 x 10-15 eV•s
c = speed of light = 3 x 108 m/s
 = wavelength in nm 20
 Common Light Emitter Materials & Characteristics
Material Formula Energy Gap Wavelength
Gallium Phosphide GaP 2.24 eV 550 nm

Aluminum Arsenide AIAs 2.09 eV 590 nm

Gallium Arsenide GaAs 1.42 eV 870 nm

Indium Phosphide InP 1.33 eV 930 nm

Aluminum-Gallium
AIGaAs 1.42-1.61 eV 770-870 nm
Arsenide

Indium-Gallium-
InGaAsP 0.74-1.13 eV 1100-1670 nm
Arsenide-Phosphide

▪ Light-emitting diodes use GaAlAs (gallium aluminum arsenide) for short-wavelength

devices.
▪ Long-wavelength devices generally incorporate InGaAsP (indium gallium arsenide
phosphide( 21
3.3 LED Geometry
There are two types of LED configurations used in communications:
1. Surface Emitting (SLEDs ).
2. Edge Emitters (ELEDs).

❑ Edge Emitters LED configuration:

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▪ light is emitted from the edge of the LED. Hence it is known by the name edge emitting
LED.
▪ output power is high (emitting spot is very small, typically 30- 50 µm)
▪ narrow emission spectra (FWHM is typically about 7% of the central wavelength)
▪ Narrow beam pattern
▪ ELEDs have the advantage that they can be used with single-mode fiber.
▪ Edge emitting LEDs have greater coupling efficiencies because their source area is smaller.
▪ Their geometry is similar to a conventional diode laser ,these LEDs differ from lasers in
that they do not have a feedback cavity.

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▪ Because of their smaller source size, they can be coupled into single mode fiber with
modest efficiency (∼0.04%) .
▪ ELEDs are typically used as low-coherence sources for fiber sensor applications, rather
than in communications, because of their broad emission spectrum.

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❑ Surface Emitters LED configuration: SLED
▪ Simple structure, are relatively inexpensive,
▪ Capable of low-to-moderate operating speeds.
▪ Output power is higher than the edge-emitting LED, but the emitting area is large,
causing poor coupling efficiency to the optical fiber.
▪ Emit light in all directions

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▪ For a surface emitting LED, the cone of spontaneous emission that can be accepted by a
typical fiber (numerical aperture NA = 0.25) is only ∼0.2 percent.
▪ This coupling is made even smaller by reflection losses (such as Fresnel reflection).
▪ To improve the coupling efficiency, lenses and mirrors are used in several different
geometries.

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 Light o utput Light o utput

Insulator (oxid
p p
Epit axial layers Epit axial layer
n+ n+
n+
n + Substrate
Substrate

(a) (b)
M e t al electrode

A schematic illustration of typical planar surface emitting LED devices .

(a) p-layer grown epitaxially on an n + substrate.
(b) First n + is epitaxially grown and then p region is formed by dopant diffusion into the
epitaxial layer.
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