Hybrid III-V/silicon lasers

Abstract

The lack of potent integrated light emitters is one of the bottlenecks that have so far hindered the silicon photonics platform from revolutionizing the communication market. Photonic circuits with integrated light sources have the potential to address a wide range of applications from short-distance data communication to long-haul optical transmission. Notably, the integration of lasers would allow saving large assembly costs and reduce the footprint of optoelectronic products by combining photonic and microelectronic functionalities on a single chip. Since silicon and germanium-based sources are still in their infancy, hybrid approaches using III-V semiconductor materials are currently pursued by several research laboratories in academia as well as in industry. In this paper we review recent developments of hybrid III-V/silicon lasers and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of several integration schemes. The integration approach followed in our laboratory makes use of wafer-bonded III-V material on structured silicon-on-insulator substrates and is based on adiabatic mode transfers between silicon and III-V waveguides. We will highlight some of the most interesting results from devices such as wavelength-tunable lasers and AWG lasers. The good performance demonstrates that an efficient mode transfer can be achieved between III-V and silicon waveguides and encourages further research efforts in this direction.

Hong–Ou–Mandel interference between independent III–V on silicon waveguide integrated lasers

“…Unfortunately, due to the indirect band gap of silicon, the development of a silicon laser remains an even greater challenge. To circumvent this, the integration of III-V sources on silicon PICs has been developed, offering promising prospects [9][10][11].…”

Single-Crystalline All-Oxide α–γ–β Heterostructures for Deep-Ultraviolet Photodetection

“…[13][14][15] Despite significant efforts to realize the heterogeneous integration of the aforementioned devices on silicon-based platforms, [16][17][18][19] challenges related to high defect densities, optical coupling, wafer bonding, and substrate removal remain critical and can lead to consequential overhead production costs. 20 Recently, oxide-based photonic platforms relying on aluminum oxide (Al2O3), with an ultra-large optical bandgap of up to ~7.6 eV, 21 have attracted considerable attention as paradigm-shifting platforms for various transparent optoelectronic devices. [22][23][24][25] The realization of low-loss Al2O3 waveguides, with an extended wavelength of up to 220 nm and substantially lower transmission losses compared to silicon nitride (Si3N4)-based waveguides, 22,26 is highly encouraging and paves the way for an integrated transparent oxide-based photonic platform across the visible wavelength region.…”