Developing a Commercial Supply of GeSn Epitaxy
Published: 18 August 2021
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Dr Ross Millar from the James Watt School of Engineering is working with IQE Silicon, funded through an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account, to develop the commercial growth of GeSn alloys. This will help to create a UK supply chain for materials for infrared detectors and single photon detectors, that will be key to many quantum applications. By aiding IQE with characterisation and development of GeSn material, Dr Millar is enabling future industrial collaborations and maximising the opportunity for translating GeSn technology developed and fully characterised at the University of Glasgow.
Alloying Ge with Sn causes the materials absorption to shift into the ‘short-wave infrared’ (SWIR) spectral region, meaning it can be used to make photodetectors at these wavelengths. Current detectors and single-photon detectors that operate in the SWIR are typically very expensive, and prohibitively so for many applications. GeSn alloys can be grown on Si wafers, using the same growth reactors that are used for Si epitaxy, meaning there is the potential for it to be significantly cheaper, and therefore enabling a range of applications at a significantly lower cost.
For example, low-cost SWIR single-photon detectors can be used to image through biological tissue, detect pollution leaks, and create 3D images of the environment for autonomous vehicles even in poor weather conditions. This core technology will be central to quantum communications, and quantum imaging applications, and industrial collaboration with IQE can ensure this technology has a pathway towards real world impact.
First published: 18 August 2021