III-Nitride Nanowire Based Near-Infrared Optoelectronic Devices on (001) Silicon

Abstract:

III-nitride-based optoelectronics research has seen rapid progress since the demonstration of the first blue-emitting diode laser by Nakamura et. al. The research has so far focused mainly on devices emitting in the visible spectrum, and significant work can still be done in the near-infrared (near-IR) to infrared (IR) spectrum. Photonic devices based on the III-nitrides and operating at near-IR can have several advantages over other material systems. Such devices emitting in the near-IR can also be used in various applications including silicon-photonics, fiber optic communications, and various biomedical applications. A photonic integrated circuit consisting of a coherent light source such as a laser and detector directly on (001) silicon will be of great importance for the progress of silicon photonics. This work focuses on the III-nitride-based alloys which have operating wavelengths in the near-IR. The present work successfully demonstrates lasers, detectors, and a complete monolithic photonic integrated circuit all directly grown on (001)Si. This work also includes some preliminary results on III-nitride-based devices operating in the infrared instead of the near-infrared.