Tuneable photonic crystal lasers and a method of fabricating the same

• US 6,711,200 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2000
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Painter, Oskar, Scherer, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Jr., Leon
• Application Number:
  US09/656,324
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 372/102, 372/39, 372/96, 372/20, 372/32, 372/19, 372/69, 372/64, 372/92
• US Class Current: 372/64
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/122 Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/136 by etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0602 Crystal lasers or glass lasers H01S3/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0635 provided with a periodic structure, e.g. using distributed feed-back, grating couplers controlling, e.g. modulating distributed feed-back lasers H01S3/102
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06256 with DBR-structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1042 Optical microcavities, e.g. cavity dimensions comparable to the wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/11 Comprising a photonic bandgap structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/187 using Bragg reflection

Abstract

Room temperature lasing from optically pumped single defect in a two-dimensional photonic bandgap crystal is illustrated. The high Q optical microcavities are formed by etching an array of air holes into a half wavelength thick multiquantum well waveguide. Defects in the two-dimensional photonic crystal or used to support highly localized optical modes with volumes ranging from 2 to 3 (λ/2n)³. Lithographic tuning of the air hole radius and the lattice spacing is used to match the cavity wavelength to the quantum well gain peak, as well as to increase cavity Q. The defect lasers were pumped with 10-30 nsec pulse of 0.4-1 percent duty cycle. The threshold pump power was 1500 milliwatts. The confinement of the defect mode energy to a tiny volume and the enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate make the defect cavity an interesting device for low threshold, high spontaneous emission coupling factor lasers, and high modulation rate light emitting diodes. Optic structures formed from photonic crystals also hold promise due to the flexibility of their geometries. Lithographic methods may be employed to alter the photonic crystal geometry so as to tune device characteristics. The integration of densely packed photonic crystal waveguides, prisons, and light sources integrated on a single monolithic chip is made possible. Lithographically defined photonic crystal cavities may also find use in some material systems as an alternative to epitaxially grown mirrors, such as for long wavelengths vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) and GaN based devices.

Claims

1. A waveguide for conducting light comprising:

a substrate;

a high refractive index waveguiding membrane disposed over the substrate forming an air cavity therebetween, the waveguiding membrane confining the light propagating therein by way of total internal reflection, the waveguiding membrane thickness as measured by the wavelength of light propagating in the waveguiding membrane is less than one wavelength thick;

a photonic bandgap (PBG) crystal being defined in said waveguiding membrane by a periodic array of holes defined through the waveguiding membrane; and

an optical cavity being defined in the photonic bandgap (PBG) crystal by means of a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes in said waveguiding membrane, the optical cavity confining light therein, and having a mode volume on the order of one cubic wavelength or less.

2. The waveguide for light of claim 1 where the waveguiding membrane defines a planar surface and where the periodic array of holes Bragg reflects the light in the plane within said waveguiding membrane.

3. The waveguide for light of claim 2 where said array of holes forms a two dimensional photonic lattice of holes in said waveguiding membrane.

4. The waveguide for light of claim 3 where the defect is formed in said two-dimensional photonic lattice by removing at least one hole from said array.

5. The waveguide for light of claim 3 where each hole has a diameter and where the defect is formed in said two-dimensional photonic lattice by adjusting said diameter of selected holes neighboring said defect.

6. The waveguide for light of claim 3 wherein the defect is characterized by a geometry which defines at least one mode of lasing within said cavity which is highly localized to a region neighboring said defect.

7. The waveguide for light of claim 6 wherein said geometry allows photons to escape from said region neighboring said defect by tunneling through said two dimensional photonic crystal.

8. The waveguide for light of claim 6 wherein said geometry allows photons to escape from said region neighboring said defect by leaking from said waveguiding membrane.

9. The waveguide for light of claim 3 wherein said array is a triangular array of holes in said waveguiding membrane which has a high dielectric constant, and which array exhibits a band gap for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations.

10. The waveguide for light of claim 3 wherein said array is a hexagonal array of holes in said waveguiding membrane which has a high dielectric constant, and which array exhibits a band gap for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations.

11. The waveguide for light of claim 3 wherein the defect comprises a single defect is formed in said two-dimensional photonic lattice.

12. The waveguide for light of claim 3 wherein a defect is formed in said two-dimensional photonic lattice characterized by an X and Y dimension, and wherein said defect is oriented with respect thereto to preferentially allow an X dipole mode in said cavity.

13. The waveguide for light of claim 3 wherein the defect formed in said two-dimensional photonic lattice has an X and Y dimension, and wherein said defect is oriented with respect thereto to preferentially allow an Y dipole mode in said cavity.

14. The waveguide for light of claim 1 where said cavity has a mode volume as small as 2.5 cubic half wavelengths.

15. The waveguide for light of claim 1 where said cavity has a mode volume smaller than or equal to 0.3 μ

m³.

16. The waveguide for light of claim 1 where said mode volume sized so that spontaneous emission is coupled into a lasting mode.

17. The waveguide for light of claim 8 where said mode volume sized so that over 85% of the spontaneously emitted light is coupled into a single lasing mode.

18. The waveguide for light of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional photonic device optically coupled to said waveguide through said membrane.

19. The waveguide for light of claim 1 wherein said waveguiding membrane is fabricated in a InGaAs/InGaAsP material system.

20. The waveguide for light of claim 1 wherein said waveguiding membrane is half wavelength thick in order to shrink the optical mode volume of said cavity.

21. The waveguide for light of claim 1 wherein said cavity is a triangular region of unperforated material in said guiding waveguide.

22. The waveguide for light of claim 1 wherein said cavity is an hexagonal region of unperforated material in said guiding waveguide.

23. The waveguide for light of claim 1 further comprising two of said cavities disposed adjacent to each other in which one cavity is adapted to be pumped and the other cavity is adapted to be modulated, so that the lasing mode of said pumped cavity is modulated.

24. The waveguide for light of claim 23 where said modulated cavity is switched causing said pumped cavity to switch lasing modes.

25. The waveguide for light of claim 1 further comprising doped layers defining a p-n junction defined laterally through said cavity to reduce free carrier absorption within said doped layers.

26. The waveguide for light of claim 1 wherein said cavity has a geometry characterized by a center and further comprising an electrical contact disposed on a surface of said waveguiding membrane in the center of said cavity.

27. The waveguide for light of claim 1 further comprising:

epitaxially grown p- and n-doped contact layers;

a self-aligned electrical pumping aperture between said epitaxially grown p- and n-doped contact layers, wherein selective oxidation through said holes which define said photonic crystal electrically isolate said p- and n-doped regions within said photonic crystal; and

a ring contact to electrically pump said aperture layer.

28. A method of fabricating a waveguide for propagating light comprising:

providing a high refractive index waveguiding membrane to confine the light propagating therein by way of total internal reflection, the waveguiding membrane disposed over a substrate forming an air cavity therebetween;

providing said waveguiding membrane with a thickness as measured by the wavelength of light propagated in the waveguiding membrane of less than the wavelength;

providing a photonic bandgap (PBG) crystal in said waveguiding membrane by defining a periodic array of holes through the waveguiding membrane; and

defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes to define an optical cavity in the photonic bandgap (PBG) crystal, the optical cavity confining light therein and having a mode volume on the order of one cubic wavelength or less.

29. The method of claim 28 where defining a periodic array of holes through the waveguiding membrane forms a two dimensional photonic lattice in said waveguiding membrane.

30. The method of claim 29 where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises removing at least one hole from said array.

31. The method of claim 29 where each hole has a diameter and where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises adjusting said diameter of selected holes neighboring said defect.

32. The method of claim 29 where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises defining a defect which is characterized by a geometry with at least one mode of lasing within said cavity which is highly localized to a region neighboring said defect.

33. The method of claim 32 where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises defining a defect which is characterized by a geometry which allows photons to escape from said region neighboring said defect by tunneling through said two dimensional photonic crystal.

34. The method of claim 32 where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises defining a defect which is characterized by a geometry which allows photons to escape from said region neighboring said defect by leaking from said waveguiding membrane.

35. The method of claim 29 where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises defining an array which is a triangular array of holes in said waveguiding membrane which has a high dielectric constant, and which array exhibits a band gap for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations.

36. The method of claim 29 where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises defining an array which is a hexagonal array of holes in said waveguiding membrane which has a high dielectric constant, and which array exhibits a band gap for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations.

37. The method of claim 29 wherein defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises defining an array having a single defect formed in said two-dimensional photonic lattice.

38. The method of claim 29 where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises defining an array having a defect formed in said two-dimensional photonic lattice characterized by an X and Y dimension, and wherein said defect is oriented with respect thereto to preferentially allow an X dipole mode in said cavity.

39. The method of claim 29 where defining a defect in the periodicity of the array of holes comprises defining an array having a defect formed in said two-dimensional photonic lattice characterized by an X and Y dimension, and wherein said defect is oriented with respect thereto to preferentially allow an Y dipole mode in said cavity.

40. The method of claim 28 where defining a subwavelength optical cavity defines a cavity having a mode volume as small as 2.5 cubic half wavelengths.

41. The method of claim 28 where defining an optical cavity defines a cavity having a mode volume smaller than or equal to 0.3 μ

m³.

42. The method of claim 28 where defining a subwavelength optical cavity defines a cavity having a mode volume sized so that spontaneous emission is coupled into a lasing mode.

43. The method of claim 42 where defining a subwavelength optical cavity so that spontaneous emission is coupled into a lasing mode defines said cavity with a mode volume sized so that over 85% of the spontaneously emitted light is coupled into a single lasing mode.

44. The method of claim 28 further comprising providing at least one additional photonic device optically coupled to said method through said membrane.

45. The method of claim 28 where providing a high refractive index waveguiding membrane provides a waveguiding membrane fabricated in a InGaAs/InGaAsP material system.

46. The method of claim 28 where providing a high refractive index waveguiding membrane provides a waveguiding membrane which is half wavelength thick in order to shrink the optical mode volume of said cavity.

47. The method of claim 28 wherein defining a defect to define an optical cavity having a mode volume of the order of one cubic wavelength or less comprises defining a triangular region of unperforated material in said guiding waveguide.

48. The method of claim 28 wherein defining a defect to define an optical cavity having a mode volume of the order of one cubic wavelength or less comprises defining an hexagonal region of unperforated material in said guiding waveguide.

49. The method of claim 28 further comprising defining two of said cavities disposed adjacent to each other in which one cavity is adapted to be pumped and the other cavity is adapted to be modulated, so that the lasing mode of said pumped cavity is modulated.

50. The method of claim 28 further comprising defining a p-n junction laterally through said cavity to reduce free carrier absorption within said doped layers.

51. The method of claim 28 wherein said cavity has a geometry characterized by a center and further comprising disposing an electrical contact on a surface of said waveguiding membrane in the center of said cavity.

52. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

epitaxially growing p- and n-doped contact layers;

defining a self-aligned electrical pumping aperture between said epitaxially grown p- and n-doped contact layers;

selectively oxidizing through said holes which define said photonic crystal to electrically isolate said p and n doped regions within said photonic crystal; and

disposing a ring contact on said contact layers to electrically pump said layer.