Abstract
The hard-drive and electronic industries can benefit by using the properties of light for power transfer and signalling. However, the integration of silicon electronics with lasers remains a challenge, because practical monolithic silicon lasers are not currently available. Here, we demonstrate a strategy for this integration, using an elastomeric stamp to selectively release and transfer epitaxial coupons of GaAs to realize III–V lasers on a silicon substrate by means of a wafer-scale printing process. Low-threshold continuous-wave lasing at a wavelength of 824 nm is achieved from Fabry–Pérot ridge waveguide lasers operating at temperatures up to 100 °C. Single and multi-transverse mode devices emit total optical powers of >60 mW and support modulation bandwidths of >3 GHz. This fabrication strategy opens a route to the low-cost integration of III–V photonic devices and circuits on silicon and other substrates.
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Acknowledgements
This work was carried out within the Competence Centre for Applied Nanotechnology, funded by Enterprise Ireland & IDA Ireland, using equipment and facilities provided by PRTLI, and with support from the EU-IAPP programme (grant no. 286285, COMPASS). The authors thank B. Roycroft for assistance with bandwidth measurement.
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M.B.M, M.A.G. and B.C. developed the integration strategy for lasers on non-native substrates. B.C. designed the laser and the laser fabrication strategy. C.B. and M.M. designed and developed the epitaxial transfer process. J.J. developed and characterized the lasers and integrated waveguides. B.C., J.J. and C.B. wrote the manuscript. All authors edited the manuscript.
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Justice, J., Bower, C., Meitl, M. et al. Wafer-scale integration of group III–V lasers on silicon using transfer printing of epitaxial layers. Nature Photon 6, 610–614 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2012.204
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2012.204
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