OPEL Technologies Inc of Toronto, Ontario, Canada – which develops III-V semiconductor devices and processes through US affiliate OPEL Defense Integrated Systems (ODIS Inc) of Storrs, CT, USA – says it has achieved Milestone 6 in the development roadmap of its proprietary planar optoelectronic technology (POET) platform.
Developed by chief scientist Dr Geoff Taylor and his team over the past 18 years in cooperation with the University of Connecticut in Storrs, OPEL's POET platform enables monolithic fabrication of integrated circuit gallium arsenide (GaAs) III-V semiconductor devices containing both electronic and optical elements on a single wafer, offering a next-generation alternative to silicon complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology.
The new milestone is the integration of the complementary inverter (the basis for all on-chip logic). Specifically, OPEL has demonstrated complementary heterostructure field-effect transistor (HFET)-based inverter operation using the POET process.
Peter Copetti, executive director of OPEL and chair of its Special Strategic Committee (SSC) for
commercialization of the POET platform, notes: "The SSC deemed Milestone 6 to be critical for our commercialization activities, and staff focused on this milestone. That we achieved Milestone 6 so quickly spotlights the caliber of the POET team, and our ability to execute and to pivot to industry needs."
Copetti added: "Due to ongoing needs of the SSC, other pre-determined milestones and dates may have to change without notice – but any changes will be consistent with our commercialization mandate."
OPEL says that the achievement of Milestone 6 obviates the need for Milestone 5 (3/4 terminal switching laser, second-quarter 2013). Milestone 6 was originally scheduled for Q3/2013, and its achievement in Q2 puts OPEL ahead of its targeted development milestones.
"To serve the digital marketplace currently dominated by CMOS, complementary functions in GaAs/InGaAs are essential," says Taylor. "With this milestone, this functionality has been demonstrated on a POET device."
The OPEL lab demonstrated both nHFETs and pHFETs, with symmetrical positive thresholds, as an integrated circuit with thresholds of +/-0.5V and VD=2V for 1 micron gates. Going forward, logic circuits will be integrated with in-plane lasers and detectors with the goal of reducing linewidths towards state-of-art CMOS circuits.
Coupled with the achievement of its previous milestones – including demonstration of the vertical-cavity laser – POET extends the capability of its unique monolithic platform, says the firm.
"This further underlines the capacity that POET has to be a disruptive technology, able to address current and future challenges facing the semiconductor industry, and provides the SSC with further momentum for its initiatives," says OPEL's president & CEO Leon Pierhal.
By offering components with increased speed, density, reliability, power efficiency and lower costs, POET offers the ability to push Moore's Law to the next level, claims the firm, overcoming existing silicon-based power and speed bottlenecks and potentially changing the roadmap for a broad range of applications, such as computer servers, storage arrays, imaging equipment, smartphones, tablet and wearable devices.
