Buried InGaAs/InP quantum wells selectively grown on SOI for lateral membrane laser diodes

Abstract

The monolithic integration of energy-efficient and high-speed III–V lasers on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform in a cost-effective and scalable manner is the crux for the ubiquitous application of Si photonics in various applications. Here, aiming for lateral p-i-n membrane laser diodes, we report the growth of InGaAs/InP multi-quantum wells (MQWs) buried inside InP membranes on (001) SOI wafers using the lateral aspect ratio trapping method. We first obtain uniform InP membranes through careful tuning of a low-temperature nucleation layer, effectively trapping crystalline defects at the InP/Si heterogeneous interface and obtaining dislocation-free InP crystals away from the interface. We then construct buried (110)-oriented InGaAs/InP MQWs emitting in the telecom wavelengths by engineering the faceting of the InP membrane to enable the epitaxy of InGaAs alloy on (110) planes. These as-grown InGaAs/InP MQWs are fully embedded inside the InP membrane and provide effective confinement of both light and charged carriers. Our results demonstrate an elegant solution for future lateral membrane laser diodes directly grown on SOI wafers.