Workpackages

In order to achieve the project goals as efficiently as possible and get optimum collaboration among partners, the project has been structured thus that the specifications and design of the devices, the materials preparation (epitaxy), the chip technology, materials and device characterisations, and the pilot applications are in separate workpackages. The workplan is therefore divided into five technical workpackages each of which is managed by a partner, plus a management workpackage WP6:

The first workpackage establishes the target specifications of devices and applications at a very early stage using the inputs from all partners and supports the technology activities by repetitively providing design rules and parameter extractions from measurements. The basic technology work is done in the large workpackages 2 (epitaxy) by WSI and UM2 and 3 (VCSEL technology) by WSI, UM2 and VERT. These two workpackages are of roughly equal importance. To manage the high risks of the project and to achieve the objectives, two different device approaches, insulator-confined and buried-tunnel-junction (BTJ) structures, as well as two pumping schemes, optical and electrical, are considered. The insulator-confined devices are developed at UM2 while the BTJ-type devices are developed at WSI.

The epitaxial wafers for both device approaches have basically identical or similar active regions but differ in the upper cladding layers. The risks are further reduced by performing the extensive epitaxial growth processes by the two partners WSI and UM2 that are highly skilled on the molecular beam epitaxy of antimonides and will strongly interact on this task.

All epitaxial and device work is permanently monitored in workpackage 4 by appropriate electrical, optical and thermal analysis and characterisations accomplished by partners IOP, Omni, WSI, VERT and UM2.

Pilot systems for the application of the NEMIS VCSELs are established in workpackage 5 by partners IOP, Omni and SAG using photoacoustic and wavelength modulation spectroscopy, respectively. Prototypes of electrically pumped devices are delivered to the systems applications relatively early (month 15, deliverable D7) to enable system tests.