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Intel Builds Hybrid Silicon Laser Chip

Researchers from Intel Corporation and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have built an electrically powered Hybrid Silicon Laser using standard silicon manufacturing processes.

The researchers were able to combine the light-emitting properties of Indium Phosphide with the light-routing capabilities of silicon into a single hybrid chip. When voltage is applied, light generated in the Indium Phosphide enters the silicon wave-guide to create a continuous laser beam that can be used to drive other silicon photonic devices. A laser based on silicon could drive wider use of photonics in computers because using high-volume silicon manufacturing techniques can reduce the cost.

“This could bring low-cost, terabit-level optical ‘data pipes’ inside future computers and help make possible a new era of high-performance computing applications," said Mario Paniccia, director of Intel’s Photonics Technology Lab. "While still far from becoming a commercial product, we believe dozens, maybe even hundreds of hybrid silicon lasers could be integrated with other silicon photonic components onto a single silicon chip.”

"Our research program with Intel highlights how industry and academia can work together to advance the state of science and technology," said John Bowers, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Barbara.

The hybrid silicon laser involves a design employing Indium Phosphide-based material for light generation and amplification while using the silicon wave-guide to contain and control the laser. The key to manufacturing the device is the use of low-temperature, oxygen plasma, an electrically charged oxygen gas, to create a thin oxide layer (roughly 25 atoms thick) on the surfaces of both materials.

When heated and pressed together the oxide layer functions as a 'glass-glue' fusing the two materials into a single chip. When voltage is applied, light generated in the Indium Phosphide-based material passes through the oxide 'glass-glue' layer and into the silicon chip’s wave guide, where it is contained and controlled, creating a hybrid silicon laser. The design of the wave-guide is critical to determining the performance and specific wavelength of the hybrid silicon laser.


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