Micro-LED sets record with 2.75 GHz at just 25 milliwatts

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Notre Dame built a micro-LED with a record 2.75 GHz optical modulation bandwidth while drawing only 25 mW. The optimal diameter was 5 micrometers rather than the smallest 2-micrometer devices. The design could replace power-hungry lasers in short-range data center links.

• 2.75 GHz modulation bandwidth at 25 mW sets a record for quantum well LEDs
• Optimal device diameter is 5 micrometers, not the smallest 2 micrometers
• About 90% of data center links span less than 10 meters
• Findings published in IEEE Electron Device Letters