Light-emitting silicon technology has seen further significant advances, according to STMicroelectronics. An ST research team has not only increased the external quantum efficiency of its light-emitting devices by a factor 1.5 – a figure which already exceeds the quantum efficiency of traditional semiconductor materials - but it has also increased the maximum emitted power by a factor 50. As a result, ST is now able to produce more than 1mW of emitted light power for each square millimetre of silicon.

Light-emitting silicon technology has seen further significant advances, according to STMicroelectronics. An ST research team has not only increased the external quantum efficiency of its light-emitting devices by a factor 1.5 - a figure which already exceeds the quantum efficiency of traditional semiconductor materials - but it has also increased the maximum emitted power by a factor 50. As a result, ST is now able to produce more than 1mW of emitted light power for each square millimetre of silicon.

"Given that we already know from our current research that it will be possible to increase this performance by at least another order of magnitude, we are on the threshold of opening up entirely new industrial applications in the fields of displays and even solid state illumination," says Dr Salvo Coffa, research director of the SST (Soft Computing, Si-optics and post-silicon Technologies) group within ST's R&D organisation. “In addition to targeting the large existing market for conventional optocouplers, ST will be aggressively pursuing these novel applications.”

In October 2002, ST reported a breakthrough in producing silicon-based devices that emit light with an efficiency that was some two orders of magnitude better than the best previously achieved results with silicon and even allowing silicon to reach, for the first time, efficiencies comparable to those of more expensive compound semiconductors. The process also retains the cost advantages of high-volume silicon technology.

Among other applications, the enhanced technology will allow ST to enter the market for optocouplers in the near future. Already, ST has produced fully working prototypes of a completely silicon-based optocoupler that demonstrate that all-silicon devices can deliver similar performance to that of traditional devices while offering cost benefits.

Silicon's ability to act as a detector of light signals has long been known and successfully exploited in technologies such as digital camera chips. However, the physical properties of pure silicon are not conducive to the emission of light and this function has traditionally been accomplished by more expensive compound semiconductor materials formed by combinations of rarer and more expensive elements such as gallium, arsenic and indium.

AngelTech Live III: Join us on 12 April 2021!

AngelTech Live III will be broadcast on 12 April 2021, 10am BST, rebroadcast on 14 April (10am CTT) and 16 April (10am PST) and will feature online versions of the market-leading physical events: CS International and PIC International PLUS a brand new Silicon Semiconductor International Track!

Thanks to the great diversity of the semiconductor industry, we are always chasing new markets and developing a range of exciting technologies.

2021 is no different. Over the last few months interest in deep-UV LEDs has rocketed, due to its capability to disinfect and sanitise areas and combat Covid-19. We shall consider a roadmap for this device, along with technologies for boosting its output.

We shall also look at microLEDs, a display with many wonderful attributes, identifying processes for handling the mass transfer of tiny emitters that hold the key to commercialisation of this technology.

We shall also discuss electrification of transportation, underpinned by wide bandgap power electronics and supported by blue lasers that are ideal for processing copper.

Additional areas we will cover include the development of GaN ICs, to improve the reach of power electronics; the great strides that have been made with gallium oxide; and a look at new materials, such as cubic GaN and AlScN.

Having attracted 1500 delegates over the last 2 online summits, the 3rd event promises to be even bigger and better – with 3 interactive sessions over 1 day and will once again prove to be a key event across the semiconductor and photonic integrated circuits calendar.

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