Paper 13371-30
Slow-light lasing in 1D photonic crystal InGaAs/GaAs nano-ridges epitaxially grown on a Si wafer
Abstract
The integration of lasers on silicon photonics is often considered the "holy grail" of photonics, due to its potential to revolutionize various applications, including sensing, high-speed communication and computing. Silicon-based lasers can facilitate more capable and cost effective photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Aspect ratio trapping (ART) and nano-ridge engineering (NRE) enable the direct growth of high-quality, defect free, direct bandgap III-V semiconductors in the form of nano-ridges on the silicon substrate [1]. These techniques offer an attractive platform for silicon photonics, bringing us closer to realizing the full potential of this technology. Single nano-ridge optically pumped DFB lasers [2], PIN detectors, and more recently, electrically injected continuous-wave lasers have been showcased on this platform [3]. Here, we demonstrate a novel, optically pumped laser, leveraging the slow-light mode arising from the coupling of multiple InGaAs/GaAs nano-ridges in a one-dimensional photonic crystal configuration. This configuration serves to trap light in the form of a high Q-factor slow-light mode while simultaneously coupling it to vertical emission. We experimentally show low-threshold lasing (≤10kW/Cm^2) for a 20 times shorter cavity (~15μm) than previously demonstrated DFB lasers. The laser operates in single mode with a high side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) (≥10dB). Also, we studied the beam profile in depth, showing highly directional emission. We will present detailed simulation and experimental results.
Presenter
Eslam Mostafa Bakry Fahmy
imec, Univ. Gent (Belgium)
Eslam is a doctoral researcher at the Photonics Research Group, Ghent University. His research focuses on III-V micro-lasers epitaxially grown on silicon. The integration of lasers on silicon is highly sought after due to its transformative potential in various applications, including sensing, communication, and computing. Eslam's work contributes to advancing this pivotal area of photonics, aiming to develop more efficient and cost-effective photonic integrated circuits (PICs).