Kevin K. Lee

High-quality Ge epilayers on Si with low threading-dislocation densities

High-quality Ge epilayers on Si with low threading-dislocation densities were achieved by a two-step ultrahigh vacuum/chemical-vapor-deposition process followed by cyclic thermal annealing. On large Si wafers, Ge on Si with threading-dislocation density of 2.3×107 cm−2 was obtained. Combining selective area growth with cyclic thermal annealing produced an average threading-dislocation density of 2.3×106 cm−2.We also demonstrated small mesas of Ge on Si with no threading dislocations. The process described in this letter for making high-quality Ge on Si is uncomplicated and can be easily integrated with standard Si processes.

Fabrication of ultralow-loss Si/SiO 2 waveguides by roughness reduction

We demonstrate 0.8-dB/cm transmission loss for a single-mode, strip Si/SiO(2) waveguide with submicrometer cross-sectional dimensions. We compare the conventional waveguide-fabrication method with two smoothing technologies that we have developed, oxidation smoothing and anisotropic etching. We observe significant reduction of sidewall roughness with our smoothing technologies, which directly results in reduced scattering losses. The rapid increase in the scattering losses as the waveguide dimension is miniaturized, as seen in conventionally fabricated waveguides, is effectively suppressed in the waveguides made with our smoothing technologies. In the oxidation smoothing case, the loss is reduced from 32 dB/cm for the conventional fabrication method to 0.8 dB/cm for the single-mode waveguide width of 0.5 microm . This is to our knowledge the smallest reported loss for a high-index-difference system such as a Si/SiO(2) strip waveguide.

Effect of size and roughness on light transmission in a Si/SiO2 waveguide: Experiments and model

In this letter, we experimentally evaluate the effect of miniaturization and surface roughness on transmission losses within a Si/SiO2 waveguide system, and explain the results using a theoretical model. Micrometer/nanometer-sized waveguides are imperative for its potential use in dense integrated optics and optical interconnection for silicon integrated circuits. A theoretical model was employed to predict the relationship between the transmission losses of the dielectric silicon waveguide and its width. This model accurately predicts that loss increases as waveguide width decreases. Furthermore, we show that a major source of loss comes from sidewall roughness. We have constructed a complete contour map showing the interdependence of sidewall roughness and transmission loss, to assist users in their design of an optimal waveguide fabrication process that minimizes loss. Additionally, users can find an effective path to reduce the scattering loss from sidewall roughness. Using this map, we confirm that n...

Ultralow‐threshold graded‐index separate‐confinement single quantum well buried heterostructure (Al,Ga)As lasers with high reflectivity coatings

Unlike conventional semiconductor lasers, single quantum well lasers with high reflectively coatings have dramatically reduced threshold currents as a result of the smaller volume of the (active) quantum well region. A cw threshold current of 0.95 mA was obtained for a buried graded‐index separate‐confinement heterostructure single quantum well laser with facet reflectivities of ∼70%, a cavity length of 250 μm, and an active region stripe width of 1 μm.

Mode transformer for miniaturized optical circuits.

A novel mode transformer was fabricated that transforms a modal area by a factor of 100. Using the mode transformer improves the efficiency of mode transformation by an order of magnitude compared with that when no mode transformer is used. With this mode transformer, input-output coupling of miniaturized, on-chip integrated optical circuits to external optical fibers is achieved with low loss. The mode transformers design, fabricated in silicon, is scalable to virtually any waveguide size, facilitating continuous miniaturization in silicon optoelectronics.

Midinfrared frequency combs from coherent supercontinuum in chalcogenide and optical parametric oscillation

We observe the coherence of the supercontinuum generated in a nanospike chalcogenide-silica hybrid waveguide pumped at 2 μm. The supercontinuum is shown to be coherent with the pump by interfering it with a doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) that is itself coherent with the shared pump laser. This enables coherent locking of the OPO to the optically referenced pump frequency comb, resulting in a composite frequency comb with wavelengths from 1 to 6 μm.

MBE-grown 232–270 nm deep-UV LEDs using monolayer thin binary GaN/AlN quantum heterostructures

Electrically injected deep ultra-violet emission is obtained using monolayer thin GaN/AlN quantum structures as active regions. The emission wavelength is tuned by controlling the thickness of ultrathin GaN layers with monolayer precision using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Single peaked emission spectra are achieved with narrow full width at half maximum for three different light emitting diodes operating at 232 nm, 246 nm, and 270 nm. 232 nm (5.34 eV) is the shortest electroluminescence (EL) emission wavelength reported so far using GaN as the light emitting material and employing polarization-induced doping.

Micron-sized channel-dropping filters using silicon waveguide devices

High density integrated optics on the scale of VLSI is of interest as it allows complicated optical interconnect circuitry to be mass produced. In this paper we present micron-sized high Q resonant cavity structures based on silicon on insulator devices. These resonant cavities may be used in channel dropping filters and modulators. Because of their small size, they have high packing densities on the order of one million devices per square centimeter. This technology has the added advantage in that it can utilize the embedded VLSI electronics manufacturing capacity. In previous work, we studied silicon on oxide photonic band gap (PBG) devices and demonstrated devices with a 400 nm stop band and with a defect which had a Q of 265 centered at a wavelength of 1560 nm. In addition, we fabricated 3 to 5 micrometer radii micro-rings with Qs of approximately 250 and free spectral widths of over 20 nm. In this work, we report results on micro-racetracks, which are oval shaped resonators, with resonances that are approximately 16 nm apart and Qs of about 1000. These racetracks incorporate a vertical coupling technology in which the bus waveguides and the ring are on separate planes. This vertical coupling scheme allows for independent control of the Q of the ring via the distance between the ring and the bus. We demonstrate higher order multi-resonator filters with similar Q and free spectral range to the single resonator filters. The individual resonators in each filter have slightly different resonant frequencies from each other resulting in multi-peaked resonances and lower drop efficiencies. Finally, we show that it is possible to thermally tune the resonances by 1 nm leading to a 10:1 contrast ratio.

Performance of polycrystalline silicon waveguide devices for compact on-chip optical interconnection

Optical interconnects offer advantages over electrical interconnects in terms of clock skew, crosstalk, and RC delay for ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integrated-Circuit) silicon technology. Optical interconnects are also applicable in optical communications where compact optical devices are fabricated and incorporated in an on-chip integrated optical system. Polycrystalline silicon (polySi)/SiO2 is an attractive waveguiding system that offers significant advantages in both applications with its compact size and compatibility with multilevel CMOS processing. Based on the process optimization that led to a low-loss polySi material, we have fabricated compact waveguide bends and splitters that were microns in size. To study the modal behavior in bending and splitting, we compared multi-mode and single-mode waveguides that were used in fabricating bends and splitters. Two waveguide cross-section dimensions, 0.5 micron X 0.2 micron and 2 microns X 0.2 microns, were used for single- mode waveguide and multi-mode waveguide, respectively. Micron- sized bending was realized with a low loss of a few dBs. Single-mode bends showed less than 3 dB loss for a bending radius of 3 microns, which was lower than that for multi-mode bends. Two different types of splitters, single-mode Y- splitters and multi-mode Y-splitters were fabricated and characterized in terms of their splitting uniformity. One X four and 1 X 16 optical power distribution systems were built based on different splitting schemes and their output power uniformity was compared. Due to the high dielectric contrast of our polySi/SiO2 waveguide system, the smallest 1 X 16 optical power distribution was realized in an area smaller than 0.0001 cm2.

High Power GaAlAs Superluminescent Diode For Fiber Sensor Applications

A chirped semiconductor laser is used instead of a superluminescent diode (SLD) to reduce the effects of backscattering and the optical Kerr effect in a fiber interferometer gyroscope.