Heterogeneous GaSb/SOI mid-infrared photonic integrated circuits for spectroscopic applications

Mid-infrared spectroscopy has gained significant importance in recent years as a detection technique for substances that absorb in this spectral region. Traditionally, a spectroscopic system consists of bulky equipment which is difficult to handle and incurs high cost. An integrated spectroscopic system would eliminate these disadvantages. GaSb-based active opto-electronic devices allow realizing mid-infrared light sources and detectors in the 2-3 mu m wavelength range for such integrated systems. Silicon photonics, based on Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) waveguide circuits, on the other hand, is a well established technology based on high refractive index contrast waveguides, enabling ultra-compact passive integrated photonic circuits. Moreover, SOI waveguide circuit processing is compatible with CMOS processes. Hence, the integration of GaSb-based active devices onto SOI passive waveguide circuits potentially allows highly compact spectroscopic systems with a large degree of freedom in passive device design to improve the system performance. This approach has a high potential for several applications, e. g. an implantable glucose level monitor and gas sensing devices. In this paper, we report our work on the integration of GaSb-based epitaxy onto SOI waveguide circuits. The heterogeneous integration is based on an epitaxial layer transfer process using the polymer divinylsiloxane-benzocyclobutene (DVS-BCB) as a bonding agent. The process is performed by transferring the epitaxial layer to an SOI waveguide circuit wafer through a die-to-wafer bonding process. With this approach, a bonding layer of 150 nm thickness is easily achievable. We also report our results on the integration of waveguide-based GaSb p-i-n photodetectors coupled to SOI waveguide circuits using evanescent coupling, which show a responsivity higher than 0.4A/W. The design of active and passive structures and the overall fabrication process will also be discussed

Heterogeneous integration of GaSb-based epitaxy on silicon-on-insulator: towards mid-infrared photonic integrated circuits for environmental and bio-medical applications

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Molecular-beam epitaxy of GaSb on 6°-offcut (001) Si using a GaAs nucleation layer

International audienceWe studied and optimized the molecular beam epitaxy of GaSb layers on vicinal (001) Si substrates using a GaAs nucleation layer. An in-depth analysis of the different growth stages under optimized conditions revealed the formation of a high density of small GaAs islands forming a quasi-two-dimensional layer. GaSb then nucleated atop this layer as three-dimensional islands before turning to two-dimensional growth within a few nanometers. Moreover, reflexion high-energy electron diffraction revealed a fast relaxation of GaAs on Si and of GaSb on GaAs. The GaSb layer quality was better than that of similar layers grown on Si through AlSb nucleation layers

Massless Dirac fermions in III-V semiconductor quantum wells

We report on the clear evidence of massless Dirac fermions in two-dimensional system based on III-V semiconductors. Using a gated Hall bar made on a three-layer InAs/GaSb/InAs quantum well, we restore the Landau levels fan chart by magnetotransport and unequivocally demonstrate a gapless state in our sample. Measurements of cyclotron resonance at different electron concentrations directly indicate a linear band crossing at the $\Gamma$ point of Brillouin zone. Analysis of experimental data within analytical Dirac-like Hamiltonian allows us not only determing velocity $v_F=1.8\cdot10^5$ m/s of massless Dirac fermions but also demonstrating significant non-linear dispersion at high energies.Comment: Main text and Supplemental Materials, 14 pages, 9 figure

Thermal performance of GaInSb quantum well lasers for silicon photonics applications

A key component for the realization of silicon-photonics is an integrated laser operating in the important communication band near 1.55 μm. One approach is through the use of GaSb-based alloys, which may be grown directly on silicon. In this study, silicon-compatible strained Ga0.8In0.2Sb/Al0.68In0.32Sb composite quantum well (CQW) lasers grown on GaSb substrates emitting at 1.55 μm have been developed and investigated in terms of their thermal performance. Variable temperature and high-pressure techniques were used to investigate the influence of device design on performance. These measurements show that the temperature dependence of the devices is dominated by carrier leakage from the QW region to the Xb minima of the Al0.35Ga0.65As0.03Sb0.97 barrier layers accounting for up to 43% of the threshold current at room temperature. Improvement in device performance may be possible through refinements in the CQW design, while carrier confinement may be improved by optimization of the barrier layer composition. This investigation provides valuable design insights for the monolithic integration of GaSb-based lasers on silicon

GaSb-based solar cells for multi-junction integration on Si substrates

We report on the first single-junction GaSb solar cell epitaxially grown on a Si substrate. A control stand-alone GaSb solar cell was primarily fabricated, which demonstrated a 5.90% efficiency (AM1.5G). The preparation, growth and manufacturing procedures were then adapted to create the GaSb-on-Si solar cell. The hybrid device resulted in a degraded efficiency for which comparison between experimental and simulated data revealed dominant non-radiative recombination processes. Material and electrical characterization also highlighted the impact of anti-phase domains and boundaries and threading dislocation density on the shunt resistance of the cell. Nevertheless, the GaSb-on-Si cell performance is close to recent results on the integration of GaSb solar cells on GaAs, despite a much larger lattice mismatch (12% vs 8%). Routes for improvement, concerning the material quality and cell structure, are proposed. This work lays the foundations of a GaSb-based multi-junction solar cell monolithically integrated on Si