Development of an optical nor gate transistor laser integrated circuit

The transistor laser combines the intrinsic switching property of a bipolar transistor and the coherent light output of a laser in a single device, making it uniquely suited for electro-optical integration. Furthermore, with the addition of waveguide structures, a transistor laser integrated circuit is well suited for monolithic logic processing using on-chip optical interconnects. Although there are still many challenges to overcome both on the device level and the integration level, a transistor laser integrated circuit can be an attractive alternative to conventional electrical integrated circuits based on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The subject of this work is the design, process development, and fabrication of a transistor laser integrated circuit in the form of an optical NOR gate to demonstrate optical logic processing using the transistor laser. This work begins with a brief introduction to optical logic processing and why the transistor laser is ideal for this application. Details of the development of a high-speed GaAs photodiode are given to supplement the original transistor laser process with a vertically illuminated optical receiver. The development of the transistor laser optical NOR gate is described, including the design and operating principle as well as the two rounds of fabrication. The methods used to characterize the optical NOR gate are reported, followed by a discussion of the results. Finally, the work is summarized and future improvements to the current process as well as next generation transistor laser integrated circuit concepts are proposed.U of I OnlyAuthor requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD syste