Monolithic InGaAs nanowire array lasers on silicon-on-insulator operating at room temperature

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the first monolithically integrated InGaAs nanowire array lasers on a silicon-on-insulator platform that operate at room temperature, advancing chip-scale photonic light sources.

Contribution

It introduces a novel monolithic integration of InGaAs nanowire array lasers on SOI, enabling practical nanowire lasers for photonic circuits.

Findings

First room-temperature nanowire array lasers on SOI

Effective coupling with SOI waveguides achieved

Nanowire lasers operate with superior optical properties

Abstract

Chip-scale integrated light sources are a crucial component in a broad range of photonics applications. III-V semiconductor nanowire emitters have gained attention as a fascinating approach due to their superior material properties, extremely compact size, and the capability to grow directly on lattice-mismatched silicon substrates. Although there have been remarkable advances in nanowire-based emitters, their practical applications are still in the early stages due to the difficulties in integrating nanowire emitters with photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Here, we demonstrate for the first time optically pumped III-V nanowire array lasers monolithically integrated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. Selective-area growth of purely single-crystalline InGaAs/InGaP core/shell nanowires on an SOI substrate enables the nanowire array to form a photonic crystal nanobeam cavity with superior optical and structural properties, resulting in the laser to operate at room temperature. We also show that the nanowire array lasers are effectively coupled with SOI waveguides by employing nanoepitaxy on a pre-patterned SOI platform. These results represent a new platform for ultra-compact and energy-efficient optical links, and unambiguously point the way toward practical and functional nanowire lasers.