GaN-Based Optoelectronic Impact Force Sensor

doi:10.12142/ZTECOM.202502010

ZTE Communications ›› 2025, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (2): 96-102.DOI: 10.12142/ZTECOM.202502010

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GaN-Based Optoelectronic Impact Force Sensor

RUAN Junhui, JIANG Chengxiang, XU Shengli, WANG Yongjin, SHI Fan()

GaN Optoelectronic Integration International Cooperation Joint Laboratory of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210003, China

Received:2024-10-20 Online:2025-06-25 Published:2025-06-10
About author:RUAN Junhui is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree at the School of Communications and Information Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China. His research interests include optical fiber sensing, GaN optoelectronics sensors, and analog circuit design.
JIANG Chengxiang is currently pursuing his master’s degree at the School of Communications and Information Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Teleommunications, China. His research interests include GaN devices and visible light communications.
XU Shengli is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree at the School of Communications and Information Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Teleommunications, China. His research interests focus on digital signal processing and hardware circuit design.
WANG Yongjin received his PhD degree in microelectronics and solid-state electronics from Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China in 2005. He was engaged in the research work with the University of Freiburg, Germany, Tohoku University, Japan, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, and the University of Bristol, UK. Since 2011, he has been a professor with the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China, where he is currently the chief investigator of National Innovation Base for Micro-Nano Device and Information System. His research interests include III-nitride monolithic photonic circuit for visible light communication and the Internet of Things. He was the recipient of many scholarships, including the Humboldt Foundation Scholarship, the JSPS Special Researcher Scholarship, and the Royal Society for Engineering Scholarship.
SHI Fan (sf123@njupt.edu.cn) received his PhD degree from the School of Communications and Information Engineering, Shanghai University, China in 2020. He has joined the School of Communications and Information Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China as a lecturer since 2020. His research interests include GaN devices, visible light communication, and mode-locked fiber lasers.
Supported by:
the National Key Research and Development Program(2024YFE0204700);Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BG2024023);Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project(D17018)

Abstract

Abstract:

A monolithic integration of the light emitting diode (LED) and photodetector (PD) based on III-nitride is designed and fabricated on a sapphire substrate to act as a transceiver. Due to the coexistence of light emission and detection phenomenon of the multi-quantum well (MQW) structure, the monolithic transceiver can effectively sense environmental changes. By integrating a deformable Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film on the transceiver chip, external force variation can be effectively detected. As the thickness of the PDMS reduces, the sensitivity significantly improves but at the expense of the measuring range. A sensitivity of 2.968 3% per newton for a range of 0–11 N is obtained when a 2 mm-thick PDMS film is packaged. The proposed monolithic GaN transceiver-based sensing system has the advantages of compactness, low cost, and simple assembly, providing an optional method for practical applications.

Key words: monolithic integration, III-nitride, transceiver

RUAN Junhui, JIANG Chengxiang, XU Shengli, WANG Yongjin, SHI Fan. GaN-Based Optoelectronic Impact Force Sensor[J]. ZTE Communications, 2025, 23(2): 96-102.

Figures/Tables 7

Figure 1 (a) Schematic diagram of the sensor; (b) microphotographs of the physical encapsulation: three kinds of packaged PDMS structures with a thickness of (c) 2.04 mm, (d) 3.59 mm and (e) 4.76 mm, respectively; (f) optical images of the device; (g) LED with biased current at 10 mA;(h) diagram of the experimental setup

Figure 2 (a) I-V characteristic of the LED, where the inset shows the output power versus the driven current; (b) I-V curve of PD at different injection currents of LED; (c) Photocurrent response of PD under different currents of LED; (d) RS spectra of PD and the electroluminescence spectra of LED

Figure 3 Photocurrent response measured under Al foil moving from (a) 0 to 12 mm, and (b) 0 to 2 mm

Figure 4 Measured voltages of the PD under incident PRBS data rates of (a) 100 bit/s, (b) 200 bit/s, (c) 500 bit/s, and (d) 1 000 bit/sf

Figure 5 Photocurrent response for Sample #1 under impact forces of (a) 3.8 N, (b) 7.3 N, and (c) 11 N; for Sample #2 under impact forces of (d) 12.5 N, (e) 17 N, and (f) 20.5 N; for Sample #3 under impact forces of (g) 23 N, (h) 32 N, and (i) 35 N

Figure 6 (a) Long-time photocurrent monitor of the sensor with Sample #1; (b) relative photocurrent response of the sensors as functions of impact forces

Table 1 Performance comparison with other force sensors

Method	Linear Range	Sensitivity	Structure Size
Piezoelectric^[6]	0.2–1.4 N	1.2 V/N	4×4 sensor array (each one: 6×6 mm²)
Capacitive^[7]	0.1–1N	0.42 V/N	122×70 mm²
Capacitive^[8]	0.5–2 N	N/A	3×0.6×20 mm³
Capacitive^[9]	0–9 N	2.8% per newton	22×22×2 mm³
Fabry-Perot interferometer^[15]	0–215.4 μN	0.221 pm/μN	20–40 mm
Optoelectronic^[29]	0–40 kPa	0.2 kPa^-1	50×50 mm²
Current work	0–35 N	2.96% per newton	2.7×1.8×0.2 mm³

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GaN-Based Optoelectronic Impact Force Sensor

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