Compact, Hybrid III-V/Silicon Vernier Laser Diode Operating From 1955-1992 nm

• Published in: IEEE photonics journal 2021-12, Vol.13 (6), p.1-5
• Main Authors: Sia, Jia Xu Brian, Li, Xiang, Wang, Wanjun, Qiao, Zhongliang, Guo, X., Wang, Jiawei, Littlejohns, Callum G., Liu, Chongyang, Reed, Graham T., Ang, Kian Siong, Wang, Hong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 2 µm silicon photonics; Continuous radiation; Doped fibers; hybrid III-V/silicon lasers; Insertion loss; integrated optics; Laser outputs; Lasers; Optical fiber amplifiers; Optical fiber communication; Optical waveguides; Photonic band gaps; Photonics; Room temperature; Semiconductor lasers; Semiconductor optical amplifiers; Silicon; Space communication; Thulium; Tunable lasers; Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers; Water absorption; Waveguide lasers
• ISSN: 1943-0655; 1943-0655; 1943-0647
• DOI: 10.1109/JPHOT.2021.3119760

The 2 µm waveband is capable of enabling pervasive applications. The demonstration of the hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber and the thulium-doped fiber amplifier has highlighted the fiber propagation and amplification aspects of fiber communications, indicating its potential as an adjunct to present communication infrastructure at the O/C bands. The above is especially imperative given the current concerns with regards to the upper bandwidth limit of the single-mode fiber. Furthermore, the waveband could facilitate many more applications such as LIDAR and free-space communication. However, water absorption (OH - ) is high at most of the 2 μm waveband and this will impact the optical insertion loss of applications implemented in the wavelength region. The relative low water absorption region of the waveband falls within 1950 - 2000 nm. As such, the development of a hybrid/heterogeneous III-V/silicon laser source that operates within the region is important for 2 µm silicon photonics. In this work, we demonstrate a III-V/Si hybrid tunable laser operating from 1955 - 1992 nm for the first time. Room temperature continuous wave operation is achieved with a maximum laser output power of 8.1 mW. This wavelength-tunable laser operates specifically within the low water absorption window, indicating good wavelength suitability for applications at the 2 μm waveband.