A monolithically integrated infrared quantum dot laser for silicon photonics

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Cloud computing will revolutionize how data are shared, people interact, societies are formed and economic wealth is generated. Essential to the operation of the cloud are large scale computing facilities in the form of datacenters. The exploding energy demands of datacenters for cloud applications currently reach 220 TWh per year. To sustain such energies environmentally and economically, the power consumption per bit must be drastically reduced from the current picojoule range into the femtojoules. Today's inefficient data transfer architectures generate a vast quantity of waste heat in datacenters. As a consequence, a large portion of the power consumed by datacenters is used for cooling, making the datacenters highly inefficient in energy usage. We propose a project that will enable the integration of light sources for energy-efficient optical communication onto silicon integrated circuits, thereby facilitating a dramatic reduction in power consumption by data centers. Conversion of electrical data into optical signals ideally occurs on a silicon photonic chip and includes elements to process signals and convey them off-chip through optical interconnects. One of the key components on such a chip is a coherent light source (i.e. a laser). The lasers currently used for this purpose are attached to the chip by means of direct bonding - a technique that is not ideal for data transmission as it can result in significant power loss. We propose to develop an entirely new type of laser that can be processed from solution and deposited directly onto a silicon photonic chip, resulting in the most energy-efficient data transfer architectures yet developed. We will work closely with Huawei Canada, a world leader in the telecommunications industry, to design chips that will utilize our laser to realize data transfer rates in excess of 10 Gb/s. New highly qualified personnel will work directly with researchers at Huawei to gain a thorough understanding of advanced research and development in a global application-oriented technology company.