Integrated Photonic Platform Based on InGaN/GaN Nanowire Emitters and Detectors

Abstract

We report the fabrication of a photonic platform consisting of single wire light-emitting diodes (LED) and photodetectors optically coupled by waveguides. MOVPE-grown (metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy) InGaN/GaN p-n junction core-shell nanowires have been used for device fabrication. To achieve a good spectral matching between the emission wavelength and the detection range, different active regions containing either five narrow InGaN/GaN quantum wells or one wide InGaN segment were employed for the LED and the detector, respectively. The communication wavelength is ∼400 nm. The devices are realized by means of electron beam lithography on Si/SiO2 templates and connected by ∼100 μm long nonrectilinear SiN waveguides. The photodetector current trace shows signal variation correlated with the LED on/off switching with a fast transition time below 0.5 s.

Broadband nanophotonic waveguides and resonators based on epitaxial GaN thin films

“…11,12 Additionally, GaN can be grown on sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ) substrates, allowing for low microwave loss compared to Si based integrated photonics. 13 Moreover, the commercial interest in visible light emitting diode production has advanced the growth of GaN thin films with exceptional high quality.…”

Light based underwater wireless communications

“…Smart lighting and display, free-space and underwater optical communications, optical switching, clocking, and interconnect 32,62,84,85) are expected to benefit from the development.…”

Optimization of the optical coupling in nanowire-based integrated photonic platforms by FDTD simulation

“…For example, NWs can play the role of active elements to generate or detect the visible light on a microfluidic chip. These potential applications have motivated extensive research on NW integrated platforms [28–30]. …”

“…A waveguide for light channeling is expected to improve the LED–detector coupling efficiency. Recently, an integrated photonic platform consisting of an InGaN/GaN NW LED and a p–n NW photodiode interconnected with a SiN x waveguide was demonstrated [30]. The communication took place in the visible spectral range (λ ≈ 400 nm).…”