High-performance optical sources for photonic integrated platforms

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Compound Semiconductor (CS) lasers are the key enabling technology for optical communication and sensing. The doubling of inter-chip transmission bandwidth in servers every two years has put an increasing need on photonic integrated systems (e.g. silicon-photonic based optical-interconnects) to solve the bandwidth bottleneck problem. In addition, the emergence of applications such as light-detection and ranging (LiDAR) used, for example, in autonomous transportation, requires integration of optoelectronic components with advanced functionality. Such technologies rely on lasers that are capable of producing optical powers beyond 100mW and spectral line-widths approaching 100kHz. Large-scale uptake of integrated photonic systems will require lasers featuring low-power consumption and the ability to withstand harsh environments, e.g. temperatures beyond 100 degree. Quantum dot lasers offer several key advantages when it comes to integration with other optical components; they are relatively insensitive to elevated temperatures and optical feedback, and are tolerant to material defects. This project will aim to develop and test quantum dot integrated optoelectronic devices, targeting applications in telecoms and LiDAR. There are a range of approaches and directions that can be taken by the student, which will be discussed with the academic and industry supervisors.