Development of Quantum Dot Lasers for Data-Com and Silicon Photonics Applications

The device characteristics of semiconductor lasers have been improved with progress in active layer structures. Carrier confinement dimension plays an important role especially in temperature sensitivity as well as slope efficiency. Three-dimensional carrier confinement to nano-scale semiconductor crystal, known as “quantum dots (QDs)” had been predicted to show ultimately superior device performances. Self-assembly formed InAs QDs grown on GaAs had been intensively promoted in order to achieve QD lasers with superior device performances. Now high-density, high-optical quality QDs have been realized through improved molecular beam epitaxy growths and QD lasers with better temperature characteristics are in the stage of mass-production for a data-com market. Fabry–Perot type, as well as distributed feedback type QD lasers show quite improved laser characteristics. Also, the unique device characteristics of QD lasers opened new application fields such as the use for resource searching by utilizing high-temperature operation such as lasing at higher than 200 °C. For silicon-photonics, QD lasers are used as an optical source for athermal operation. In this paper, the evolution of QDs, as well as improved device performances for novel application fields are discussed.

[1]  Yasuhiko Arakawa,et al.  Spontaneous Emission Characteristics of Quantum Well Lasers in Strong Magnetic Fields —An Approach to Quantum-Well-Box Light Source— , 1983 .

[2]  Mitsuru Sugawara,et al.  Long-wavelength quantum dot FP and DFB lasers for high temperature applications , 2012, OPTO.

[3]  John E. Bowers,et al.  High performance continuous wave 1.3 μm quantum dot lasers on silicon , 2014 .

[4]  Mikhail V. Maximov,et al.  Low threshold, large To injection laser emission from (InGa)As quantum dots , 1994 .

[5]  K. Nishi,et al.  A narrow photoluminescence linewidth of 21 meV at 1.35 μm from strain-reduced InAs quantum dots covered by In0.2Ga0.8As grown on GaAs substrates , 1999 .

[6]  D. Deppe,et al.  1.3 μm room-temperature GaAs-based quantum-dot laser , 1998 .

[7]  H. Sakaki,et al.  Multidimensional quantum well laser and temperature dependence of its threshold current , 1982 .

[8]  Levon V. Asryan,et al.  Inhomogeneous line broadening and the threshold current density of a semiconductor quantum dot laser , 1996 .

[9]  Akio Sasaki,et al.  Initial growth stage and optical properties of a three‐dimensional InAs structure on GaAs , 1994 .

[10]  Yasuhiko Arakawa,et al.  High-Temperature 1.3 µm InAs/GaAs Quantum Dot Lasers on Si Substrates Fabricated by Wafer Bonding , 2013 .

[11]  Andreas Stintz,et al.  Extremely low room-temperature threshold current density diode lasers using InAs dots in In/sub 0.15/Ga/sub 0.85/As quantum well , 1999 .

[12]  Yasuhiko Arakawa,et al.  Isolator free optical I/O core transmitter by using quantum dot laser , 2015, 2015 IEEE 12th International Conference on Group IV Photonics (GFP).

[13]  James L. Merz,et al.  Structural and optical properties of self‐assembled InGaAs quantum dots , 1994 .

[14]  Yasuhiko Arakawa,et al.  Temperature-Insensitive Eye-Opening under 10-Gb/s Modulation of 1.3-µm P-Doped Quantum-Dot Lasers without Current Adjustments , 2004 .

[15]  Serge Luryi,et al.  Temperature-insensitive semiconductor quantum dot laser , 2003 .

[16]  Yasuhiko Arakawa,et al.  A hybrid silicon evanescent quantum dot laser , 2016 .

[17]  K. Nishi,et al.  Wide-temperature-range 10.3 Gbit/s operations of 1.3 μm high-density quantum-dot DFB lasers , 2011 .

[18]  Xiangkun Zhang,et al.  Tunneling injection lasers: a new class of lasers with reduced hot carrier effects , 1996 .

[19]  Peter Michael Smowton,et al.  Experimental investigation of the effect of wetting-layer states on the gain–current characteristic of quantum-dot lasers , 2002 .

[20]  M. Sugawara,et al.  Self-Formed In0.5Ga0.5As Quantum Dots on GaAs Substrates Emitting at 1.3 µm , 1994 .

[21]  Wei Li,et al.  Electrically pumped continuous-wave III–V quantum dot lasers on silicon , 2016, Nature Photonics.

[22]  Di Liang,et al.  Robust hybrid quantum dot laser for integrated silicon photonics. , 2016, Optics express.

[23]  Takeo Kageyama,et al.  Molecular beam epitaxial growths of high-optical-gain InAs quantum dots on GaAs for long-wavelength emission , 2013 .

[24]  M. Ishida,et al.  High-speed and temperature-insensitive operation in 1.3-µm InAs/GaAs high-density quantum dot lasers , 2009, 2009 Conference on Optical Fiber Communication - incudes post deadline papers.

[25]  Yasuhiko Arakawa,et al.  First demonstration of athermal silicon optical interposers with quantum dot lasers operating up to 125 °C , 2014, 2014 The European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC).

[26]  M. Hopkinson,et al.  Origin of Temperature-Dependent Threshold Current in p-Doped and Undoped In(Ga)As Quantum Dot Lasers , 2008, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[27]  John E. Bowers,et al.  1.3 μm photoluminescence from InGaAs quantum dots on GaAs , 1995 .

[28]  L. Goldstein,et al.  Growth by molecular beam epitaxy and characterization of InAs/GaAs strained‐layer superlattices , 1985 .