Proceedings of nanoGe Fall Meeting 2018 (NFM18)
Publication date: 6th July 2018
Integrated photonic circuits, increasingly based on silicon (-nitride), are at the core of the next generation of low-cost, energy efficient optical devices ranging from on-chip interconnects to biosensors. One of the main bottlenecks in developing such components is that of implementing diverse functionalities on the passive platform, such as light emission and amplification. A possible and promising route is that of hybridization, where a new photonic material is combined with the existing framework to provide a desired functionality. Colloidal quantum dots are perfectly suited for this purpose as they combine low cost synthesis and deposition with the ability to emit an amplify light over a broad spectral range. In this contribution, we highlight the recent advances of this hybrid approach1–3, like the reduction in lasing threshold achieved in recent VSL samples, and creation of quasi-CW lasing operation in DFB laser structures. Furthermore, we tackle several remaining challenges towards practical devices that operate under continuous operation, such as heat generation, broadband amplification and electrical excitation.