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III–V Quantum-Dot Materials and Devices Monolithically Grown on Si Substrates

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Silicon-based Nanomaterials

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Materials Science ((SSMATERIALS,volume 187))

Abstract

The integration of III–V photonics materials and devices with Si microelectronics will enable the fabrication of complex optoelectronic circuits, which will permit the creation of the long-dreamed chip-to-chip and system-to-system optical communications. Direct epitaxial growth of semiconductor III–V compounds on Si substrates is one of the most promising candidates for the fabrication of photonics devices on the Si platform. III–V quantum dots (QDs) offer an attractive alternative to conventional quantum wells(QWs) for building III–V lasing devices on a Si platform due to their unique advantages. We developed the long-wavelength InAs/GaAs QD materials and devices monolithically grown on Si, Ge, and Ge-on-Si substrates by the use of Molecular Beam Epitaxy. Room-temperature(RT) lasing at a wavelength of around 1.3 \(\upmu \)m has been achieved with threshold current densities of 64.3 A/cm\(^{2}\) and lasing operation up to 83\(\,^{\circ }\mathrm{{C}}\) for Si-based ridge-waveguide InAs/GaAs QD lasers with as-cleaved facets. The optical and electrical properties of InAs/GaAs QDs grown on Si substrates were further investigated to evaluate the potential for Si-based photodiodes. A peak responsivity of 5 mA/W was observed at 1.28 \(\upmu \)m, while the dark current was two orders of magnitude lower than those reported for Ge-on-Si photodiodes. These studies ultimately form the basis for the monolithic integration of 1.3-\(\upmu \)m InAs/GaAs QD lasers and detectors on the Si platform.

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Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Professor Alwyn Seeds (University College London) for valuable discussion and support. The author also thanks Mr. Andrew Lee, Dr. Qi Jiang, Dr. Ting Wang, Dr. James Wilson, Dr. Kris Groom, Dr. Ian Sandall, Dr. Chin-Hing Tan, Dr. Jo Shien Ng, and Professor Richard Hogg for collaboration and help. This study is supported by The Royal Society, UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), UK Engineering and Physics Science Research Council (EPSRC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7JE, UK

    Huiyun Liu

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  1. Huiyun Liu
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Correspondence to Huiyun Liu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. cState Key Laboratory of Electronic, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China

    Handong Li

  2. State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China

    Jiang Wu

  3. State Key Laboratory of Electronic, University of Electronic Science and Technology, Chengdu, People's Republic of China

    Zhiming M. Wang

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Liu, H. (2013). III–V Quantum-Dot Materials and Devices Monolithically Grown on Si Substrates. In: Li, H., Wu, J., Wang, Z. (eds) Silicon-based Nanomaterials. Springer Series in Materials Science, vol 187. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8169-0_14

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