Thinner and Faster Photodetectors Producing Lower Phase Noise

Abstract

Design parameters of a high-performance photodetector are further optimized using the Nelder-Mead method minimizing the phase noise calculated with a logarithmic time evolution algorithm. The new design is thinner, faster, and has 6 dBc/Hz lower phase noise than the original design.

Fast Evaluation of RF Power Spectrum of Photodetectors With Windowing Functions

“…Modified UTC (MUTC) photodetectors further improve upon the UTCs and can support higher output currents [2], [7]- [9]. Alternative designs have been proposed [11], [12] that are expected to improve the device performance, but determining the optimal design that meets all the design requirements is a nontrivial task due to the design trade-offs [1]- [4], e.g., smaller photodetectors have a larger bandwidth but generate a weaker output current. In order to characterize a photodetector's performance, it is necessary to find the photodetector's RF output power spectrum either experimentally or numerically.…”

“…One can calculate the output power of a photodetector by solving the drift-diffusion equations [4], [13] using a single-frequency (monochromatic) modulation of the input optical power. By repeating the same procedure over the entire frequency range of interest, one can obtain the RF output power spectrum with high accuracy.…”

Designing Photodetectors with Machine Learning

“…From number of layers to thickness of each layer, material types to doping levels, there are several variables that should be considered to design a highly efficient PD meeting the desired specifications for a given task. Today's modern numerical optimization and machine learning algorithms can be used to efficiently determine those variables [2]. In this work, we first use both traditional and modern numerical optimization (NO) techniques to design high-performance PDs operating at 1550 nm.…”

“…NoW5C 2. Advanced Photonics Congress (BGPP, IPR, Networks, NOMA, PVLED, SOF, SPPCom) © Optica Publishing Group 2022…”

Design and Analysis of Low Bias, Low Phase Noise Photodetectors for Frequency Comb Applications Using Particle Swarm Optimization

“…Phase noise in photodetectors is a critical limiting factor in RF-photonics, time and frequency metrology, and photonic low-phase-noise microwave generation [2], [3]. We previously optimized a modified uni-traveling-carrier (MUTC) photodetector for low-phase-noise, high-bias (21 V) applications [4] using Nelder-Mead optimization; here we use particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to find a better design for low-phase-noise, low-bias (5 V) applications, taking advantage of the PSO's ability to handle tens of parameters [5].…”