Silicon-Integrated Photonics for Space Systems
Loading...
Author(s)
Goley, Patrick Stephen
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Collections
Supplementary to:
Permanent Link
Abstract
Silicon-integrated photonics have attracted strong interest for space, defense, and basic research applications for their ability to scale the size, weight, power, and cost of optoelectronic systems. Many of these new applications involve deployment of this new technology into hazardous radiation environments, such as in geostationary orbit around the earth, or within particle accelerators, for example. The effects of radiation from high-energy particles on conventional integrated circuits have been studied for over 50 years, and this field remains very active today. Silicon photonic integrated circuits, on other hand, having been commercialized only recently, represent a far less mature technology. Consequently, radiation effects research in this field is just beginning. The objective of this research has been to methodically subject the fundamental building blocks of silicon photonic systems to different types of hazardous radiation using theoretical, computational, and experimental methods, and to systematically characterize the effects on device and circuit behavior, so that vulnerabilities may be understood, risks can be assessed, and radiation hardening methods may be devised as needed. Throughout this process special attention has been given to identifying the underlying physical mechanisms driving any observed radiation-induced changes, or behind the absence of changes, so that findings can be generalized as much as possible, with the goal of enabling broad predictive capability. Where appropriate, and when opportunities have presented themselves, this work has delved into topics beyond radiation effects and into basic device research. One such case was driven by a need for deeper understanding of material and device properties to describe a particular radiation effect. In another case, a novel silicon-integrated photodetector architecture, well suited for many space applications, is demonstrated.
Sponsor
Date
2022-01-14
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Dissertation