ITR/SY: The Silicon Laser

如今，多芯片计算系统的整体性能主要受到芯片之间互连的限制，据预测，这一问题将在十年内转移到单芯片水平。传统的互连依赖于金属线，这在速度和功耗方面产生了越来越难以管理的问题。光互连为这些问题提供了解决方案。然而，需要解决的一个关键问题是缺乏与硅微电子制造完全兼容的合适激光器。将研究在硅中实现激光的可能性。建立在硅纳米晶体中实现光学增益的条件。特别是，纳米晶体的尺寸和表面钝化，特别是与硅氧键，将被研究。然后，设计并测试了光泵浦激光器。光泵浦硅激光器的演示是本工作的主要目的。一旦确定了获得增益所需的条件，将对电抽运的条件进行检查。这项工作的结果将引起科学界和技术专家的兴趣，因为硅激光器通常被认为是不可能的，因为信息技术的爆炸式发展依赖于计算能力的持续进步。

0112612FauchetToday, the overall performance of a multichip computing system is dominated by the limitations of the interconnections between chips and it is predicted that this problem will migrate to the single chip level within this decade. Conventional interconnects rely on metal lines which produce increasingly unmanageable problems with speed and power dissipation.Optical interconnects provide a solution to these problems. However, one key problem that needs to be solved is the lack of a suitable laser that is fully compatible with silicon microelectronic manufacturing.The possibility of achieving lasing in silicon will be investigated. The conditions under which optical gain can be achieved in silicon nanocrystals will be established. In particular, the nanocrystal size and surface passivation, especially with silicon-oxygen bonds, will be studied. Then, an optically pumped laser will be designed and tested. The demonstration of an optically pumped silicon laser is the main objective of this work. Once the conditions required to achieve gain are established, the conditions under which electrical pumping will be examined.The results of this work will be of interest to the scientific community, as a silicon laser is commonly thought to be impossible, and to technologists, as the explosion in information technology relies on continued progress in computing power.