III–V Microwires with Reversed Ridge Waveguides Selectively Grown on Pre-Patterned Si Substrates

Abstract

To construct functional photonic integrated circuits, an efficient and compact laser is expected to be incorporated into the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor platform. Monolithic integration of III–V lasers on pre-patterned Si substrates by the aspect ratio trapping method is a promising solution. Here, microwires with reversed ridge waveguides (RRWs) on pre-patterned Si substrates were reported. By metal–organic chemical vapor deposition, high-quality InP microwires with RRWs were obtained, and InGaAs/InGaAsP multi-quantum-well structures with InGaAsP separate confinement hetero structure (SCH–MQW) were successfully achieved. The SCH–MQW structure was buried in the InP microwire, which was beneficial for transferring the heat generated in the active region. The micron size also contributes to the efficiency of thermal diffusion. Further, simulation results showed that the metal absorption loss could be less than 4 dB/cm by properly controlling the contact area between metal electrodes and microwires. This proposed structure opens up an alternative pathway for electrically driven III–V lasers seamlessly interfaced with Si-photonics.