Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T08:55:44.589Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Quantum Well Intermixing Using Sputtered Silica for Photonic Integrated Circuits Operating Around 1550 nm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

John H. Marsh ,
A. Catrina Bryce ,
Olek P. Kowalski ,
Stewart D. McDougall ,
Maolong Ke ,
Bocang Qiu  and
Yahong Qian
John H. Marsh
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
A. Catrina Bryce
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
Olek P. Kowalski
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
Stewart D. McDougall
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
Maolong Ke
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
Bocang Qiu
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
Yahong Qian
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
Get access

Abstract

A novel technique for quantum-well intermixing has been developed using sputtered silica. The technique relies on the generation of point defects via plasma induced damage during the deposition of the sputtered silica. The presence of the defects before annealing allows the intermixing to take place at lower annealing temperatures (>200 C) than those needed for conventional impurity free vacancy disordering. The low annealing temperature has allowed the technique to be applied to InP based quantum well systems such as InGaAs/InGaAsP and InGaAs/InGaAlAs, and provides a simple and reliable process for the fabrication of both wavelength tuned lasers and monolithically integrated devices operating around 1550 nm.

Wavelength tuned broad area oxide stripe lasers have been demonstrated in InGaAs-InAlGaAs and InGaAs-InGaAsP quantum wells. Oxide stripe lasers with integrated intermixed slab waveguides have enabled the production of a narrow (3 degrees), single lobed far field pattern in InGaAs-InAlGaAs devices. Extended cavity ridge waveguide lasers operating around 1550 nm have been demonstrated with low loss (alpha = 4.1/cm) waveguides, the loss beinglimited by free carrier absorption in the waveguide cladding layers. Ridge waveguide, deeply etched surface grating DBR lasers were fabricated both with and without intermixing the grating section. Measurements show that a significant improvement in performance is obtained from the DBR lasers when the grating section is intermixed.

The intermixing technique has been further developed in order to realise 3 bandgaps on a chip in a single annealing step for the integration of amplifiers, passive waveguides and bandgap tuned electro-absorption modulators. Modulation depths of 25 dB were measured from the modulators.

The results illustrate that the technique can routinely be used to fabricate low-loss optical interconnects and bandgap tuned devices, offering a very promising route toward photonic integration.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 607: Symposium OO – Infrared Applications of Semiconductors III , 1999 , 479
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Guido, L. J., Holonyak, N. Jr, Hseih, K. C., Kaliski, R. W., Piano, W. E., Burnham, R. D., Thornton, R. L., Epler, J. E., and Paoli, T. L., “Effect of dielectric encapsulation and As overpressure on Al-Ga interdiffusion in AlxGal−xAs quantum well heterostructures,” J. Appl. Phys., vol. 55, pp.540–542, 1989.Google Scholar
2. Ooi, B. S., Mcllvaney, K., Street, M. W., Helmy, A. S., Ayling, S. G., Bryce, A. C., Marsh, J. H., and Roberts, J. S., “Selective quantum well intermixing in GaAs-AIGaAs structures using impurity free vacancy diffusion,” IEEE J. Quanum Electron., vol. 33, pp.1784–1793, 1997.Google Scholar
3. Cusamano, P., Marsh, J. H., Rose, M. J., and Roberts, J. S., “High-quality extended cavity ridge lasers fabricated by impurity free vacancy diffusion with a novel masking technique," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., vol. 9, pp.282–284, 1997.Google Scholar
4. Marsh, J.H., Bradshaw, S.A., Bryce, A.C., Gwilliam, R. and Glew, R.W., “Impurity induced disordering of GaInAs quantum wells with barriers of AlGaInAs or of GaInAsP.", J. Electronic Materials, vol 20, pp 973–978, 1991 Google Scholar
5. Charbonneau, S., Poole, P.J., Feng, Y., Aers, G.C., Dion, M., Davies, M., Goldberg, R.D. and Mitchell, I.V., “Bandgap tuning of InGAsP/InGaAs/InP lasers using high energy ion implantation.", Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 67, pp. 2954–2956, 1995.Google Scholar
6. McKee, A., McLean, C. J., Lullo, G., Bryce, A. C., Rue, R. M. De La, Marsh, J. H., and Button, C. C., “Monolithic integration in InGaAs-InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well structures using laser intermixing," IEEE J Quantum Electron., vol. 33 pp. 45–55, 1997.Google Scholar
7. Naito, H., Kume, M., Hamada, K., Shimizu, H. and Kano, G., “Highly-reliable CW operation of 100 mW GaAIAs buried twin ridge substrate lasers with non-absorbing mirrors," IEEE J. Quantum Electron., vol. 25, pp. 1495–1499, 1989.Google Scholar
8. Matsumoto, M., Sasaki, K., Kondo, M., Ishizumi, T., Takeoka, T., Nakatsu, H., Watanabe, M., Yamamoto, O., and Yamamoto, S., “High-power 780 nm AIGaAs narrow-stripe window structure lasers with window grown on facets," Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., vol. 32, pp. 665–667, 1993.Google Scholar
9. Derickson, D.J., Helkey, R.J., Mar, A., Karin, J.R., Wasserbauer, J.G. and Bowers, J.E., “Short pulse generation using multisegmjent modelocked semiconductor lasers.", IEEE J. Quantum Electron., vol 28, pp. 2186–2202, 1992 Google Scholar
10. Camacho, F., Avrutin, E. A., Cusumano, P., Helmy, A. S., Bryce, A. C., and Marsh, J. H., “Improvements in mode-locked semiconductor diode lasers using monolithically integrated passive waveguides made by quantum-well intermixing," IEEE Photon. Tech. lett., vol. 9, pp.1208–1210, 1997.Google Scholar
11. Werner, J., Kapon, E., Stoffel, N.G., Colas, E., Schwarz, S.A., Schwartz, C.L. and Andreadakis, N., “Integrated external cavity GaAs/AlGaAs lasers using selective quantum well disordering.", Appl. Phys. Lett., vol 54, pp. 540–542, 1989 Google Scholar
12. Garbuzov, D., Xu, L., Forrest, S. R., Menna, R., Martinelli, R., and Connolly, J. C., “l.5μm wavelength, SCH-MQW InGaAsP/InP broadened-waveguide laser diodes with low internal loss and high output power," Electron. Lett., vol. 32, pp. 1717–1719, 1996.Google Scholar
13. Smith, G.M., Hughes, J.S., Lammert, R.M., Osowski, M.L. and Coleman, J.J., “Wavelength Tunable Two-Pad Ridge Waveguide Distributed Bragg Reflector InGaAs-GaAs Quantum Well Lasers" Electronics Letters, vol 30, pp. 1313–1314, 1994 Google Scholar
14. Lammert, R.M., Jones, A.M., Youtsey, C.T., Hughes, J.S., Roh, S.D., Adesida, I. and Coleman, J.J., “InGaAsP-InP Ridge-Waveguide DBR Lasers with First-Order Surface Gratings Fabricated Using CAIBE" IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol 9, pp. 1445–1447, 1997 Google Scholar