High speed nanotechnology-based photodetector

An inexpensive, easily integrated, 40 Gbps photoreceiver operating in the communications band would revolutionize the telecommunications industry. While generation of 40 Gbps data is not difficult, its reception and decoding require specific technologies. We present a 40 Gbps photoreceiver that exceeds the capabilities of current devices. This photoreceiver is based on a technology we call "nanodust." This new technology enables nanoscale photodetectors to be embedded in matrices made from a different semiconductor, or directly integrated into a CMOS amplification circuit. Photoreceivers based on quantum dust technology can be designed to operate in any spectral region, including the telecommunications bands near 1.31 and 1.55 micrometers. This technology also lends itself to normal-incidence detection, enabling a large detector size with its associated increase in sensitivity, even at high speeds and reception wavelengths beyond the capability of silicon.