MRSEC researchers have developed the materials necessary to embed GHz speed electronic photodetectors into micron diameter channels in optical fibers. Electronic devices are usually made on planar “chips” or more recently by coating the outside of tiny semiconductor nanowires with layers of new semiconductors to form interfaces known as junctions. These junctions are at the heart of modern optoelectronic devices such as solar cells, diode lasers, and photodetectors. The researchers found that using high pressure chemistry it is possible to construct long symmetric, precisely doped junctions in a new way by layering materials inside the fiber pores. In this way, two cornerstones of modern technology, optical fibers and electronic devices are seamlessly merged in a way that has not previously been possible. New technologies for electronically detecting, generating, and manipulating light in a one dimensional geometry may arise from this materials research.
Penn State MRSEC DMR-0820404
