Red-emitting InP quantum dot micro-disk lasers epitaxially grown on (001) silicon

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Integrated silicon photonics requires on-chip laser sources.
• Indium Phosphide (InP) quantum dots (QDs) offer potential for red and near-infrared (NIR) laser emission.
• Direct epitaxy on silicon is challenging due to lattice mismatch and defect formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the first direct epitaxy of InP quantum dot lasers on a (001) Silicon (Si) substrate.
• To achieve continuous-wave (CW) lasing of micro-disk lasers (MDLs) on Si at room temperature.
• To validate the performance of InP QD lasers on Si by comparing them with devices grown on native GaAs substrates.

Main Methods:

• Direct epitaxy of InP QDs on a Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)/Si template.
• Fabrication of micro-disk lasers (MDLs).
• Characterization of material properties and device performance.
• Statistical data analysis for comparison between Si and GaAs substrates.

Main Results:

• Successful direct epitaxy of InP QDs on (001) Si.
• Achieved continuous-wave (CW) lasing of MDLs on Si at room temperature.
• Lowest threshold power of MDLs on Si recorded at approximately 500 nW.
• Comparable material and device performance between InP QD lasers on Si and GaAs substrates.

Conclusions:

• Direct epitaxy of InP QDs on Si is feasible for on-chip red laser sources.
• This work represents a significant step towards integrated silicon photonic circuits with on-chip lasers.
• The demonstrated technology enables future realization of integrated photonic circuits with red and NIR lasers on Si.