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Published on: June 3, 2015
Integrated blue ZnSe/ZnS quantum dot lasers on a silicon nitride platform
Jinhua He1, Korneel Molkens1,2,3, Dries Van Thourhout2
1Physics and Chemistry of Nanostructures, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
Nature Nanotechnology
|July 27, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed blue lasers using quantum dots (QDs) on silicon nitride platforms. This advances integrated photonics for applications like optical communications and sensing.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Quantum Dot Technology
Background:
- On-chip blue lasers are crucial for data storage, quantum photonics, optical communications, and sensing.
- Current Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based blue lasers require lattice-matched substrates and complex fabrication, leading to high optical losses.
- Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) offer a promising alternative for integrated photonics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend CMOS-compatible fabrication of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) for blue laser emission on silicon nitride (SiNx) platforms.
- To achieve high gain performance in blue-emitting QDs comparable to existing red and green QDs.
- To demonstrate stable lasing in integrated photonic devices using these blue-emitting QDs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized CMOS-compatible fabrication to integrate blue-emitting ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with silicon nitride (SiNx) platforms.
- Applied QD design rules for optimal gain performance and encapsulated QD films with an organic/inorganic bilayer.
- Demonstrated lasing using femtosecond and nanosecond pumping in both out-of-plane (2D photonic crystal cavities) and in-plane (1D distributed feedback cavities) configurations.
Main Results:
- Achieved blue-emitting ZnSe/ZnS QDs with gain metrics comparable to established red and green QDs.
- Demonstrated stable lasing in SiNx two-dimensional photonic crystal cavities at wavelengths between 425-445 nm with quasi-continuous-wave thresholds of 7.5 kW/cm2.
- Showcased in-plane, waveguide-coupled lasing by depositing QD films on a one-dimensional distributed feedback cavity.
Conclusions:
- Solution-processable, non-toxic ZnSe-based QDs are suitable for integrated blue photonics.
- The developed QD-based blue lasers are compatible with CMOS fabrication, offering a pathway for miniaturized photonic devices.
- This work paves the way for advanced integrated photonic systems utilizing efficient and stable blue laser emission.
