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.
Highlights
Si photonics is a key technology to confront the fast-growing data traffic in advanced datacommunication network infrastructures, e.g., data centres and high-performance computing [1], replacing current copper interconnectors with optical interconnection on a single chip. {Thomson, 2016 #39}The emerging challenges for transmission, manipulation and storage of voluminous data have motivated extensive research in Si-based photonic components
This paper reviews the recent progress of monolithically integrated III-V QD lasers on Si platforms
Owing to the superior properties of QD and the optimised growth strategy, high-performance FP, distributed feedback (DFB) and mode-locked edge-emitting lasers grown on the Si platform have been demonstrated, while the performances are comparable to the devices grown on III-V native substrates in terms of the ageing, threshold, power, side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR), etc
Summary
Si photonics is a key technology to confront the fast-growing data traffic in advanced datacommunication network infrastructures, e.g., data centres and high-performance computing [1], replacing current copper interconnectors with optical interconnection on a single chip. {Thomson, 2016 #39}The emerging challenges for transmission, manipulation and storage of voluminous data have motivated extensive research in Si-based photonic components. The heterogeneous approach has been intensively studied and sufficiently matured to be commercially adopted by industry, this approach still has limitations, including expensive, smallsized III-V substrates and low integration density [30] In this regard, the monolithic integration, capable of providing economically efficient mass production and dense integration, has attracted substantial interest recently [31]. With the offcut Si substrates, for example, QD lasers achieved impressive continuous-wave (CW) lasing results, including the lowest reported threshold current density of 62.5 A/cm (4° offcut silicon substrate) [36] and the highest recorded maximum operation temperature of 119°C (the 6° offcut substrate with Ge buffer layer) [37] These results are achieved at the expense of their CMOS compatibility, which is one of the significant benefits of Si photonics. Direct growth using only MBE process without intermediate buffer layers or patterned Si has been progressed to suppress the formation of APBs by carefully
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