Waveguide-coupled nanolasers in III–V membranes on silicon

Semiconductor nanolasers provide an attractive route towards high density photonic integrated circuits in low power applications such as optical interconnects. In this paper we present the concept of a waveguide-coupled nanolaser for integration in a CMOS compatible photonic platform. We exploit metallic and dielectric confinement to provide high quality factors exceeding 500 in a wavelength-scale cavity, that provides efficient cooling and cross-talk immunity due to the metal coverage. We present simulations detailing the design considerations for high quality factors and efficient waveguide coupling. Optical and electrical simulations predict room temperature operation at 1.55 μm with a threshold current of 120 μA and a differential quantum efficiency of 0.16. We also discuss briefly the challenges of fabricating these devices and integrating them in the photonic platform.