Optoelectronics

Abstract

Optoelectronics covers the design, manufacture, and characterization of hardware devices that convert electrical signals into photon signals and vice-versa. The interaction between light and matter lies at the heart of optoelectronics, and progress in this area impacts all fields of application, including light sources, detectors, and optical communication systems. A brief review of the performance and development of up-to-date light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodetectors applicable in information technology is presented. After a short introduction into the physics and technology of semiconductor optoelectronic devices, their potential importance for future optoelectronics and photonics applications are discussed. Examples, where III-V compound semiconductors are used in LEDs, resonant cavity enhanced and avalanche photodetector structures, as well as new materials and structures for efficient visible light emitting diodes based on organic semiconductors are discussed. Key problems that are still to be addressed with regard to the need for interdisciplinary integration consistent with More than Moore domain in ENIAC strategy research agenda are also identified. © 2009 Springer-Verlag US.