Roques-Carmes Charles, Kooi Steven E, Yang Yi, Massuda Aviram, Keathley Phillip D, Zaidi Aun, Yang Yujia, Joannopoulos John D, Berggren Karl K, Kaminer Ido, Soljačić Marin
Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, NE47, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 18;10(1):3176. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11070-7.
Extracting light from silicon is a longstanding challenge in modern engineering and physics. While silicon has underpinned the past 70 years of electronics advancement, a facile tunable and efficient silicon-based light source remains elusive. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the generation of tunable radiation from a one-dimensional, all-silicon nanograting. Light is generated by the spontaneous emission from the interaction of these nanogratings with low-energy free electrons (2-20 keV) and is recorded in the wavelength range of 800-1600 nm, which includes the silicon transparency window. Tunable free-electron-based light generation from nanoscale silicon gratings with efficiencies approaching those from metallic gratings is demonstrated. We theoretically investigate the feasibility of a scalable, compact, all-silicon tunable light source comprised of a silicon Field Emitter Array integrated with a silicon nanograting that emits at telecommunication wavelengths. Our results reveal the prospects of a CMOS-compatible electrically-pumped silicon light source for possible applications in the mid-infrared and telecommunication wavelengths.
从硅中提取光在现代工程和物理学中一直是一项长期挑战。尽管硅支撑了过去70年的电子技术进步，但一种易于调谐且高效的硅基光源仍然难以实现。在此，我们通过实验证明了从一维全硅纳米光栅产生可调谐辐射。光由这些纳米光栅与低能自由电子（2 - 20 keV）相互作用的自发发射产生，并记录在800 - 1600 nm波长范围内，该范围包括硅的透明窗口。我们展示了从纳米级硅光栅产生基于自由电子的可调谐光，其效率接近金属光栅。我们从理论上研究了一种由集成有硅纳米光栅的硅场发射体阵列构成的可扩展、紧凑、全硅可调谐光源的可行性，该光源在电信波长下发射。我们的结果揭示了一种与CMOS兼容的电泵浦硅光源在中红外和电信波长下可能应用的前景。
