Electrically pumped InP-based microdisk lasers integrated with a nanophotonic silicon-on-insulator waveguide circuit

A compact, electrically driven light source integrated on silicon is a key component for large-scale integration of electronic and photonic integrated circuits. Here we demonstrate electrically injected continuous-wave lasing in InP-based microdisk lasers coupled to a sub-micron silicon wire waveguide, fabricated through heterogeneous integration of InP on silicon-on-insulator (SOI). The InP-based microdisk has a diameter of 7.5 mu m and a thickness of 1 mu m. A tunnel junction was incorporated to efficiently contact the p-side of the pn-junction. The laser emits at 1.6 mu m, with a threshold current as low as 0.5 mA under continuous-wave operation at room temperature, and a threshold voltage of 1.65 V. The SOI-coupled laser slope efficiency was estimated to be 30 mu W/mA, with a maximum unidirectional output power of 10 mu W. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America.