Design of a Hybrid III–V-on-Silicon Microlaser With Resonant Cavity Mirrors

A novel approach is presented to realize compact III–V-on-silicon microlasers. The concept relies on resonant mirrors in which the close interaction between a III–V waveguide and an underlying silicon cavity provides high narrow-band reflection back into the III–V waveguide. Combining two such mirrors with a III–V waveguide in between leads to a resonant mirror laser. The properties of the resonant mirror are studied for a variety of device parameters. Using this information, the properties of the resulting laser, such as threshold power and side-mode suppression ratio, are investigated. These calculations correspond well to proof-of-concept experimental results.