Enhanced GeSn Microdisk Lasers Directly Released on Si

GeSn alloys are promising candidates for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible, tunable lasers. Relaxation of residual compressive strain in epitaxial GeSn has recently shown promise in improving the lasing performance. However, the suspended device configuration that is thus far introduced to relax the strain is destined to limit heat dissipation, thus hindering the device performance. Herein is demonstrated that strain-free GeSn microdisk laser devices fully released on Si outperform the canonical suspended devices. This approach allows to simultaneously relax the limiting compressive strain while offering excellent thermal conduction. Optical simulations confirm that, despite a relatively small refractive index contrast between GeSn and Si, optical confinement in strain-free GeSn optical cavities on Si is superior to that in conventional strain-free GeSn cavities suspended in the air. Moreover, thermal simulations indicate a negligible temperature increase in the device. Conversely, the temperature in the suspended devices increases substantially reaching, for instance, 120 K at a base temperature of 75 K under the employed optical pumping conditions. Such improvements enable increasing the operation temperature by approximate to 40 K and reducing the lasing threshold by 30%. This approach lays the groundwork to implement new designs in the quest for room temperature GeSn lasers on Si.

Automated summary

By fully releasing strain-free GeSn microdisk laser devices on Si, both the relaxation of compressive strain and excellent thermal conduction are achieved, outperforming traditional suspended devices. Optical simulations demonstrate superior optical confinement and thermal simulations show negligible temperature increase, enabling higher operation temperatures and reduced lasing thresholds.