Abstract
Compact silicon integrated lasers are of significant interest for various applications. We present a detailed investigation for realizing sub-mm long on-chip laser structures operating at λ = 1.533 µm on the silicon-on-insulator photonic platform by combining a multi-segment silicon waveguide structure and a recently demonstrated erbium-doped thin film deposition technology. Quarter-wave shifted distributed feedback structures (QWS-DFB) are designed and a detailed calculation of the lasing threshold conditions is quantitatively estimated and discussed. The results indicate that the requirements for efficient lasing can be obtained in various combinations of the designed waveguide DFB structures. Overall, the study proposes a path to the realization of compact (< 500 µm) on-chip lasers operating in the C-band through the hybrid integration of erbium-doped aluminum oxide processed by atomic layer deposition in the silicon photonic platform and operating under optical pumping powers of few mW at 1,470 nm.
Highlights
Compact silicon integrated lasers are of significant interest for various applications
Inspired by the multi-segment waveguide structure proposed in Ref.[22] and by taking advantage of our erbium-doped material platform realized with the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique, we investigate the feasibility for realizing compact erbium-doped on-chip lasers based on the silicon on insulator (SOI) platform through the design of quarter-wave shifted (QWS) distributed feedback (DFB) cavities designed in multi-rail silicon waveguides
Two key elements driving the design of such waveguides are essentially to minimize the effect of two-photon absorption (TPA) in s ilicon[24] and to maximize the overlap of the propagating optical mode and the active material deposited on the silicon waveguide with the ALD technique[23]
Summary
Compact silicon integrated lasers are of significant interest for various applications. The objective of this article is to address these two limitations and to propose a possible approach for the realization of erbium-doped lasers on silicon, pumped at ~ 1.48 μm, directly integrated in silicon waveguides, with sub-mm dimensions To this end, our study is based on the gain material we have recently developed[23]. With a 1,470 nm pump source, up to 52.4 ± 13.8 dB/cm (12.07 cm−1) net material gain per unit length at 1533 nm wavelength was demonstrated, which, to the best of our knowledge, is among the highest gain values achieved from erbium-based planar composite waveguides Given such erbium-doped material properties, a proper optical cavity remains to be investigated while considering the most appropriate integration approach of the active layer within the resonator geometry. Inspired by the multi-segment waveguide structure proposed in Ref.[22] and by taking advantage of our erbium-doped material platform realized with the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique, we investigate the feasibility for realizing compact (sub-mm) erbium-doped on-chip lasers based on the silicon on insulator (SOI) platform through the design of quarter-wave shifted (QWS) distributed feedback (DFB) cavities designed in multi-rail silicon waveguides
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