ABSTRACT
The many and diverse approaches to materials science problems have greatly enhanced our ability in recent times to engineer the physical properties of semiconductors. Silicon, of all semiconductors, underpins nearly all microelectronics today and, indeed, the ubiquitous silicon microelectronic “chip” is taken for granted in modern society. There has been much research involved in producing these nanotechnology marvels and such research continues unabated at a faster and faster pace. Continued developments in Si and, more recently, Si1 – xGex alloy and strained silicon technology [1, 2] continue to advance the frontiers of device integration, complexity, and speed. This continued advance has been driven by
application requirements in switching technology (e.g., computers) and high-speed electronics (e.g., wireless telecommunications). Other compound semiconductor materials, such as GaAs or InP or III-V alloys, have, however, maintained a significant role in the construction of optoelectronic and purely photonic devices [3] such as lasers, waveguides, modulators, detectors, and optical fibers [4]. Roadmaps to dictate and forecast the evolution of photonics are only now being elaborated. It is commonly accepted that the industrial model of microelectronics, if applied to photonics, will give a substantial boost to the development and implementation of photonics. All the major manufacturers of microelectronics have aggressive programs to develop microphotonic devices, mostly based on silicon [5].
