RESEARCH AREA 11.1: ARO SPECIAL PROGRAMS: SHORT-TERM INNOVATIVE RESEARCH (STIR) PROGRAM: Two-step etch process for fabrication of III-V nanolasers
Abstract
The objective of the proposed STIR work is to explore top down nanowire laser fabrication in two material systems: III-As and III-Nitride semiconductors. The main objective of this project will be to develop and optimize an etch process for straight and smooth GaAs nanowires to obtain the highest quality nano wires for lasers. To that end, the effort will include epitaxial crystal growth of the thin films, optimization of the etch process and electron microscopy of the nano wires including a comprehensive characterization of the wires with scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The secondary objective for the project will be to evaluate the possibility of using such a nano-lasers with silicon photonics technology. These experiments will consider various schemes that could result in the coupling of light from the nanolasers into waveguides in silicon. The technical approach is to develop a robust and cost effective process to fabricate nano-lasers using a variety of III-V semiconductors. The nanolasers are based on III-V nanowires that are fabricated from a semiconductor epitaxial layer through the use of a top-down double-etch process. The double-etch process involves the etching of coarse pillars on a patterned wafer with an inductively coupled plasma etch (ICP) followed by the use of a wet etch process to create a high aspect ratio nanowires that are ideally suited for optically pumped nano-laser applications. The project will build on results already demonstrated in III-N semiconductors and will extend these results to include III-As semiconductor nanowires as well. The III-N wires are crystallographically suited for the fabrication of such wires since the equilibrium crystal structures in the hexagonal lattice favor a wire like profile. However in the case of the III-As wires the hypothesis is that a (11 l)B substrate orientation will have to used to achieve the required wire profile. The project will also explore the possibility of using the techniques to create nano wires from heteroepitaxial structures. In this case the fabrication of nano wires will be explored from epitaxial structures that include quantum confinement structures and structures such as distributed Bragg reflectors. The nanowires fabricated through this process will be characterized as optically pumped nanolasers. The III-N lasers will be operational in the ultraviolet to visible wavelength range while the III-As based wires will have a lasing wavelength in the near infrared. The ability to incorporate ternary alloys into this process will allow the capability to further change the emission wavelengths to include the tele communications wavelengths at 1300 and 1550 nm.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 12, 2017
- Source ID
- W911NF1510596
Entities
People
- Ganesh Balakrishnan
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of New Mexico