Integrated Rare Earth Lasers for Silicon Photonics

用于硅光子学的集成稀土激光器

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-06423
• 负责人: Bradley, Jonathan
• 金额: $ 3.5万
• 依托单位: McMaster University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=752913
• 关键词: Integrated; Rare; Earth; Lasers; Silicon

Lasers and photonic devices have influenced our lives in many critical ways, including enabling the high speed lightwave signals that fuel the internet. Now, after decades of research, so-called “silicon photonics” is poised to significantly advance internet and data communication through decreased cost and increased performance and scalability. Silicon photonics (SiP) leverages the existing multi-billion-dollar microelectronics fabrication infrastructure to provide highly compact, inexpensive, and energy-efficient integrated optoelectronic microsystems. As a result of its growing application in high-speed optoelectronic data networks, the SiP market is expected to increase to several $B in the next decade. Further, SiP promises to be ubiquitous in sensing, imaging, ranging, medical, and advanced military and space applications. Nevertheless, one of the key missing elements in SiP systems remains a monolithic laser. Silicon and SiP-compatible materials (i.e. those which can be monolithically integrated on silicon chips such as silicon nitride and germanium) provide many of the required functions in optoelectronic circuits, including signal transmission, switching, modulation, filtering, multiplexing, and detection. However, it has long been recognized that silicon is an inefficient light emitter. Currently SiP microsystems rely on off-chip lasers or bonding costly materials to silicon to deliver light. An efficient on-chip, monolithic, and scalable light source will have an enormous impact on future applications of SiP. In this research project we will develop new light-emitting rare-earth-doped photonic materials and the first fully-integrated rare earth lasers for silicon photonics. Advantages of SiP rare earth lasers, in addition to their low cost and monolithic fabrication, include their high powers, compact size, temperature insensitivity, high stability, and wide range of emission wavelengths and wavelength tunability in important communications and sensing windows. By integrating lasers based on these low-cost materials into wafer-scale silicon processes we will increase their scalability and open entirely new functions of SiP microsystems that are currently performed using more expensive or bulky optical platforms. This research will lead to specialized training of highly qualified people (HQP), have a significant impact on the growing SiP industry and information technology, and enhance overall high-tech expertise in Canada. By developing the lasers in Canada, we will continue Canada's leadership in advanced communications and photonics technologies. We will implement the methods and devices in advanced SiP microsystems for communications, sensing, and emerging applications to meet the growing information and technology needs of society.

激光器和光子设备以许多关键的方式影响了我们的生活，包括启用高速灯波信号为互联网推动。现在，经过数十年的研究，所谓的“硅光子学”被中毒，可以通过降低成本以及提高性能和可扩展性来大大提高互联网和数据通信。硅光子学（SIP）利用现有的数十亿美元的微电子制造基础设施提供高度紧凑，廉价和节能的集成光电子微系统。由于其在高速光电数据网络中的应用不断增长，因此在未来十年中，SIP市场预计将增加到几美元。此外，SIP有望在感知，成像，范围，医疗以及先进的军事和空间应用中无处不在。然而，SIP系统中的关键元素之一仍然是单片激光。硅和SIP兼容的材料（即，可以单粒子列出在硅芯片（例如氮化硅和锗）上的材料提供了许多所需的功能，包括信号传输，开关，调制，调制，滤波，滤波，多重型和检测。但是，长期以来，人们已经认识到硅是一种效率低下的发射极。目前，SIP微型系统依赖于芯片外激光器或将固定材料粘合到硅以发光的材料。有效的芯片，整体和可扩展的光源将对SIP的未来应用产生增强的影响。在该研究项目中，我们将开发新的发光稀土掺杂的光子材料和第一个用于硅光子学的完全集成的稀土激光器。 SIP稀土激光器的优势除了其低成本和整体制造外，还包括其高功率，紧凑的尺寸，温度不敏感，高稳定性以及在重要的通信和灵敏度窗口中的发射波长和波长的范围范围。通过将激光基于这些低成本材料集成到波级硅过程中，我们将提高其可扩展性，并打开SIP微型系统的全新功能，这些功能目前使用更昂贵或更笨重的光学平台执行。这项研究将导致对高素质人（HQP）的专业培训，对不断发展的SIP行业和信息技术产生重大影响，并增强加拿大的总体高科技专业知识。通过在加拿大开发激光，我们将继续加拿大在高级通信和光子技术方面的领导。我们将在高级SIP微型系统中实施用于通信，传感和新兴应用程序的方法和设备，以满足社会不断增长的信息和技术需求。