CMOS-fabricated tensile Ge microstructures: towards an edge-emitting laser

The realization of a Si-integrated light source represents today the "Holy Grail" of silicon photonics. An approach based on slightly tensile strained Ge/Si heterostructures has led to the demonstration of both optically and electrically pumped laser. This achievement has been welcomed by the scientific community as a leap toward a monolithically integrated silicon-based photonic platform. In this talk, a CMOS-based fabrication approach to obtain Ge microstripes on SOI substrates featuring uniaxial strain values up to -~1.5 % , resulting in an equivalent biaxial tensile strain value up to ε~9x10^-3 is presented.