In-Plane 1.5 m Distributed Feedback Lasers Selectively Grown on (001) SOI

Hetero-epitaxy for integration of efficient III-V lasers on silicon can enable wafer-scale silicon photonic integrated circuits, which can unleash the full advantages of silicon photonics in production on large silicon wafers with low cost, high throughput, and large bandwidth and large-scale integration. In this work, efficient III-V distributed feedback (DFB) lasers selectively grown on (001) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers are presented. The selective hetero-epitaxy of sufficiently large areas of III-V segments allows the demonstration of DFB lasers on the SOI wafer. The fabricated DFB lasers feature a co-planar configuration with the Si layer, allowing for efficient coupling between III-V lasers and Si waveguides. The unique III-V-on-insulator structure also provides strong optical confinement for the lasers. Gratings are designed and fabricated with minimal non-radiative recombination and a simple process with good tolerance. The optically pumped DFB laser has a low lasing threshold of around 17.5 & mu;J cm(-2), stable single-mode lasing at 1.5 & mu;m, a side-mode-suppression-ratio of over 35 dB, and a spontaneous emission factor of 0.7. The results here demonstrate a step forward towards wafer-scale integration with monolithically grown lasers, thus outlining the prospect of fully integrated Si photonics.