Design of Ge/SiGe quantum-confined Stark effect modulators for CMOS compatible photonics

A simulation technique for modeling optical absorption in Ge/SiGe multiple quantum well (MQW) heterostructures is described, based on a combined 6 × 6 k • p hole wave-function a one-band effective mass electron wavefunction calculation. Using this model, we employ strain engineering to target a specific applications-oriented wavelength, namely 1310 nm, and arrive at a design for a MQW structure to modulate light at this wavelength. The modal confinement in a proposed device is then found using finite-element modeling, and we estimate the performance of a proposed waveguide-integrated electroabsorption modulator.