Top-Bottom Stripe Thin Film InGaAs/GaAsP Laser integrated on Silicon

Integration of photonic active and passive components - and ultimately, full systems - directly onto Si and Si CMOS are a critical step toward chip scale photonic system integration. Thin film compound semiconductor lasers heterogeneously integrated onto silicon open up a wide range of applications, including portable sensing systems, optical interconnects, and chip scale ultrafast optical signal processing. Thin film lasers on silicon are a critical component for these applications, and a low threshold current density is especially desirable for low power, portable applications. In this paper, a thin film InGaAs/GaAsP single quantum well (SQW) laser with strain compensation and a unique top/bottom stripe contact structure for efficient current distribution is presented. The thin film (3.8 mum thick), and the ability to perform fabrication processes on both sides of this thin film laser, enable this new contact structure.