Low-threshold InP quantum dot and InGaP quantum well visible lasers on silicon (001)

Abstract

Monolithically combining silicon nitride ( ${\mathrm{S}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{N}}_{\mathrm{x}}$ ) photonics technology with III-V active devices could open a broad range of on-chip applications spanning a wide wavelength range of $\sim 400-4000\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m}$ . With the development of nitride, arsenide, and antimonide lasers based on quantum well (QW) and quantum dot (QD) active regions, the wavelength palette of integrated III-V lasers on Si currently spans 400 nm to 11 µm, with a crucial gap in the red-wavelength regime of 630–750 nm. Here, we demonstrate red ${\mathrm{I}\mathrm{n}}_{0.6}{\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}}_{0.4}\mathrm{P}$ QW and far-red InP QD lasers monolithically grown on CMOS-compatible Si (001) substrates with continuous-wave operation at room temperature. A low-threshold current density of $550\mathrm{A}/{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^2$ and $690\mathrm{A}/{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^2$ with emission at 680–730 nm was achieved for QW and QD lasers on Si, respectively. This work represents a step toward the integration of visible red lasers on Si, allowing the utilization of integrated photonics for applications including biophotonic sensing, quantum computing, and near-eye displays.