LED Structure

LED Structures
LED Structures
y Five major
j type:
yp
y 1-Planar LED
y22-Dome
Dome LED
y 3-Surface emitter LEDs
y 4-Edge
4 Ed E Emitter
itt LED
LEDs
y 5-Superluminescent LEDs
y Only two have use in OFC(SLED and
ELED)
Planar LED
y Simplest
p of the structures that are
available.
y Fabricated by liquid or vapour phase
epitaxial processes over GaAs
su ace
surface.
y Lambertian emission.
y TIR limites the Radiance lowlow.
Figure of Planar LED
Dome LED
y A hemisphere
p of n-type
yp GaAs around
p-region.
y Higher external power efficiency than
planar LED.
Figure of Dome LED
Surface Emitter LEDs
this form of LED structure emits light perpendicular to the plane of the
y Method
PN junction . for obtaining high radiance is to
restrict
i theh emission
i i to a smallll active
i
region within device.
y Pioneered by Burrus and Dawson.
Dawson
y Used an etched well in a GaAs substrat
inorder to prevent heavy absorption of
emitted radiation.
y Low thermal impedance in active
region allowing high current densities
and giving high radiance emission into
optical fiber.
BURRUS
URRUS--SLED
Explanation
y the size of the p
primaryy active region
g is
limited to a small circular area of 20
μm to 50 μm in diameter.
y The active region is the portion of the
LED where eepphotons
oto s aare
eeemitted.
tted
y The primary active region is below the
surface of the semiconductor
substrate perpendicular to the axis of
the fiber
fiber.
Continue:
y A well is etched into the substrate to allow direct

coupling of the emitted light to the optical fiber
fiber.
The etched well allows the optical fiber to come
into close contact with the emitting surface.
y In addition
addition, the epoxy resin that binds the optical
fiber to the SLED reduces the refractive index
mismatch, increasing coupling efficiency.
y Typically SLEDs operate efficiently for bit rates
Typically,
up to 250 megabits per second (Mb/s).
Because SLEDs emit light over a wide area (wide
far-field
far field angle), they are almost exclusively used
in multimode systems.
Characteristics of SLED
Edge Emitter LEDs
y High radiance structure currently used in
optical communications is the stripe
geometry
y Similar geometry to a conventional
contact stripe infection laser
y Surface geometry allows very high
carrier
i injection
i j ti densities
d iti for f given
i
high current.
y This form of LED structure emits light in
a plane parallel to the junction of the PN
junction.
y I this
In thi configuration
fi ti ththe lilight
ht can bbe
confined to a narrow angle.
ELED
structures
ELED
y It shows the different layers of
semiconductor
i d material
i l usedd iin the
h
ELED.
y The primary active region of the ELED is
a narrow stripe, which lies below the
surface of the semiconductor substrate.
The semiconductor substrate is cut or
polished so that the stripe runs between
the front and back of the device.
y The polished or cut surfaces at each end
off the
th stripe
t i are called
ll d ffacets.
t
spectrum
spectru m
APPLICATION
y In an ELED the rear facet is highly reflective and the front
facet is antireflection
antireflection-coated.
coated
y ELEDs emit light only through the front facet.
y ELEDs emit light in a narrow emission angle allowing for
b tt source-to-fiber
better t fib coupling.
li
y They couple more power into small NA fibers than SLEDs.
y ELEDs can couplep enough
g p power into single
g mode fibers for
some applications. ELEDs emit power over a narrower
spectral range than SLEDs.
y However,, ELEDs typically
yp y are more sensitive to temperature
p
fluctuations than SLEDs.
y For medium-distance, medium-data-rate systems, ELEDs are
p
preferred.
y ELEDs may be modulated at rates up to 400 Mb/s. ELEDs
may be used for both single mode and multimode fiber
systems.
Super luminescent LEDs
y Having advantages of both SLED and ELED-
y Hi h output
High t t power
y A directional output beam
y A narrow spectral linewidth
y A super luminescent light emitting diode is, similar to a laser
diode, based on an electrically driven pn-junction that, when
biased in forward direction, becomes optically
p y active and
generates amplified spontaneous emission over a wide range
of wavelengths.
y The ppeak wavelength
g and the intensityy of the SLED depend
p
on the active material composition and on the injection
current level.
y SLEDs are designed
g to have high
g single
g p pass amplification
p
for the spontaneous emission generated along
the waveguide but, unlike laser diodes, insufficient feedback
to achieve lasing action.
diagram
characteristics
characteristics
y The total optical power emitted by an
SLED d depends
d on theh iinjected
j d current
(bias).
y Unlike laser diodes
diodes, the output intensity
does not exhibit a sharp threshold but it
gradually increases with current.
y A soft knee in the power vs. current
curve defines a transition between a
regime dominated by spontaneous
emission (typical for surface emitting
LED ) and
LEDs) d one th
thatt iis d
dominated
i t dbby
amplified spontaneous emission (i.e.
superluminescence)
laser to fiber coupling
y For g
greater coupling
p g efficiencies
,lenses are used
y Power conversion efficiency(η):
y(η)
y Ratio of optical power coupled into
fiber(Pc) to the electrical power
applied at the terminals of device.
y η= Pc/P
y CONVEX lenses are used
diagram
Lenses

LED Structure

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LED Structures

y A well is etched into the substrate to allow direct

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