Design and fabrication of an electrically-activated photonic crystal nanocavity laser

Abstract

In the future, optical networks may see an expanded role not only in telecommunications, but also in computers and other common electronic devices. These optical networks will require small, on-chip light sources. By using the photonic crystal's ability to strongly confine light, photonic crystal lasers can be built very small and very efficient, making them ideal for photonic integrated circuits. This thesis describes the design and fabrication of an electrically-activated photonic crystal nanocavity laser using an active layer with quantum dots. Hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) was studied as an electron-beam lithography resist, and reactive ion etching of AlGaAs and InGaAlP was investigated. The laser described herein is very small, only - 5 gm in length and width. The design is also very flexible. By simply changing the active material and the size and spacing of the holes which create the one-dimensional photonic crystals, the emission wavelength can be easily varied. The laser is anticipated to be more efficient than the current technology from both the energy and chip design standpoints, and should represent a major improvement in on-chip light sources.