Recent Progress of Quantum Dot Lasers Monolithically Integrated on Si Platform

Abstract

With continuously growing global data traffic, silicon (Si)-based photonic integrated circuits have emerged as a promising solution for high-performance Intra-/Inter-chip optical communication. However, a lack of a Si-based light source remains to be solved due to the inefficient light-emitting property of Si. To tackle the absence of a native light source, integrating III-V lasers, which provide superior optical and electrical properties, has been extensively investigated. Remarkably, the use of quantum dots as an active medium in III-V lasers has attracted considerable interest because of various advantages, such as tolerance to crystalline defects, temperature insensitivity, low threshold current density and reduced reflection sensitivity. This paper reviews the recent progress of III-V quantum dot lasers monolithically integrated on the Si platform in terms of the different cavity types and sizes and discusses the future scope and application.

An Energy-Efficient and Bandwidth-Scalable DWDM Heterogeneous Silicon Photonics Integration Platform

“…1 was also proposed and being developed [14][15][16]. A similar modelocked comb laser either heterogeneously [17, 18] [19] or monolithically [20] [19,[21][22][23] integrated on Si generates tens or hundreds of evenly-spaced wavelengths within a reasonable power variation, e.g., 3 dB [24]. This leads to significant reduction in the number of required wavelength-stabilized continuous-wave (cw) lasers, e.g., distributed feedback (DFB) or distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) lasers.…”

Monolithic Integration of O-Band InAs Quantum Dot Lasers with Engineered GaAs Virtual Substrate Based on Silicon

“…These defects act as the non-radiative recombination centers for optoelectronic devices, leading to the aggregation of dopant atoms, triggering the pinning effect, generating additional energy losses and ultimately deteriorating the characteristics of the devices. Although Si-based III–V lasers realized by heterobonding have shown remarkable performance [ 46 , 47 ], III–V lasers fabricated by direct heteroepitaxy on Si and then transferred onto SOI substrate in order to strengthen the gain for OEIC purposes still have unique features in the long run [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. Therefore, crystal quality management for GaAs/Si virtual substrate plays a vital role in solving the technical bottleneck for high performance Si-based InAs/GaAs QD lasers.…”

Recent Developments of Quantum Dot Materials for High Speed and Ultrafast Lasers

“…Therefore, 1.55 μm InP-based quantum dash lasers were reported by many research groups [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. The study of QDs is continuing on the epitaxy growth, the design, and the fabrication to improve the performance of the QD devices [ 45 , 46 ]. The review is organized as follows: in Section 2 , two main growth methods of QD structures, including top-down and bottom-up approaches are briefly described; in Section 3 , the physics and device performance of QDs, including the modal gain, linewidth enhancement factor, temperature dependent optical properties, carrier dynamics of QD materials, low threshold current density, high temperature insensitivity, modulation characteristics, and high optical feedback tolerance of QD devices, are discussed; in Section 4 , the active and passive QD-based laser devices in the context of fiber-optic communication, including Fabry–Perot (F–P) lasers, Distributed Feedback (DFB) lasers, Vertical-Cavity Surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and SESAM mode-locked lasers are reviewed.…”