Semiconductor III–V lasers monolithically grown on Si substrates

Silicon (Si) photonics is an area that has recently attracted great attention. In order to realize the goal of integrated photonic components on an electronics platform, an electrically pumped laser on a Si substrate is required. The usage of III–V compounds has enabled such devices to be grown directly on the Si electronics platform that underpins contemporary electronics. In this paper, semiconductor III–V lasers monolithically grown on Si are reviewed, with quantum well and quantum dot technology being used to obtain lasers operating at wavelengths of 1.05, 1.30, 1.5 and 2 µm, with threshold currents <1 kA cm−2. In addition, an integrated modulator and laser fabricated by epitaxial regrowth has been demonstrated at 1.05 µm with a modulation depth of 45% at −3 V and 100% at −5 V. 1.3 µm lasers grown on Ge and Ge-on-Si substrates with the low continuous wave room-temperature threshold current densities of 55 and 164 A cm−2, respectively are reviewed as a promising approach to obtaining high performance lasers on Si substrates. These results demonstrate that the direct, monolithic growth of III–V compounds on a Si platform is a strong contender for the realization of an optical source integrated on an electronics platform.