Prospects and applications of on-chip lasers

Abstract

Integrated silicon photonics has sparked a significant ramp-up of investment in both academia and industry as a scalable, power-efficient, and eco-friendly solution. At the heart of this platform is the light source, which in itself, has been the focus of research and development extensively. This paper sheds light and conveys our perspective on the current state-of-the-art in different aspects of application-driven on-chip silicon lasers. We tackle this from two perspectives: device-level and system-wide points of view. In the former, the different routes taken in integrating on-chip lasers are explored from different material systems to the chosen integration methodologies. Then, the discussion focus is shifted towards system-wide applications that show great prospects in incorporating photonic integrated circuits (PIC) with on-chip lasers and active devices, namely, optical communications and interconnects, optical phased array-based LiDAR, sensors for chemical and biological analysis, integrated quantum technologies, and finally, optical computing. By leveraging the myriad inherent attractive features of integrated silicon photonics, this paper aims to inspire further development in incorporating PICs with on-chip lasers in, but not limited to, these applications for substantial performance gains, green solutions, and mass production.

Exciton–polariton light-emitting diode based on a single ZnO superlattice microwire heterojunction with performance enhanced by Rh nanostructures

“…Low-dimensional semiconductor micro/nanostructures, which simultaneously possess self-constructed cavities, superior gain characteristics, and unique optical and electrical properties, have been expected to feature as prospective building blocks for optoelectronic devices in the future. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Among these fascinating micro/nanostructures, one-dimensional (1D) superlattice semiconductor micro/nanostructures can provide a platform to modulate photon transport coherently with a defined direction in the shape of an optical waveguide, and they have been widely studied due to their captivating optoelectronic properties and electronic confinement properties. [9][10][11][12][13] In particular, the optical cavities formed along the axial direction of the wire-like structures, which exhibit well-defined confinement of photons and controlled modulation of electronic transport characteristics, have been employed to construct coherent light sources.…”

Erbium-doped tellurium oxide distributed Bragg reflector lasers on silicon nitride chips

“…The realization of reliable on-chip light sources is one of the key challenges in integrated photonics. As a fundamental component of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), such sources can be used in a wide range of applications, including telecommunications, sensing, quantum photonics, and LiDAR systems [1]. A promising solution is the use of rare-earthdoped glass lasers, which have the potential to be fabricated at low cost on large scale through simple processing steps and are well-established in fibers with high output powers and narrow linewidth emission in technologically important wavelength bands [2].…”

Design enablement methodology for silicon photonics-based photonic integrated design

“…Silicon photonics technology builds on existing CMOS manufacturing techniques and is well positioned to take advantage of the fabless business model which was instrumental in the growth of CMOS industry. The two components required to advance this growth are (1) development of advanced silicon photonics process technologies capable of offering high performance photonic components [4] and integrated light sources [5] and (2) innovative photonics integrated circuit (PIC) design techniques. PIC designers access process technologies using design enablement (DE) tools offered by foundries.…”