Semipolar (2021) InGaN/GaN micro-photodetector for gigabit-per-second visible light communication

Abstract

This paper investigated the use of semipolar InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well based micro-photodetectors (μPDs) as the optical receiver for visible light communication (VLC). The fabricated semipolar μPDs exhibited a low dark current of 1.6 pA at -10 V, a responsivity of 0.191 A W-1, and a -3 dB modulation bandwidth of 347 MHz. A high data rate of up to 1.55 Gbit s-1 was achievable by utilizing the extended bandwidth of more than -10 dB, and based on a straight-forward non-return-to-zero on-off keying modulation scheme. This development demonstrated the feasibility of wavelength-selective detection scheme using semipolar μPD for high-data-capacity VLC systems.