Fabrication and Lasing Operation of Semiconductor Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystals

下一代光子网络所需的高性能和大规模集成在现有技术中难以实现。光子晶体具有多维周期性结构、高速高效的光发射和高密度的光布线等优点，可实现大规模集成。在这项研究中，我们研究了半导体二维（2D）PC激光器和相关技术。与3D PC相比，具有面内周期性的2D PC具有不太有效的光控制，但能够更容易地制造。点缺陷的引入提供了面内谐振，这导致了珀塞尔效应和无阈值激光操作。线缺陷的引入提供了具有尖锐弯曲的小型光波导，其可用于高密度光布线。然而，在PC研究的第一阶段，该结构需要高纵横比的半导体工艺和低表面复合速度的材料。这限制了PC的应用。在我们早期的研究中，我们采用了InP基材料，具有缓慢的表面复合速度，并制作了二维晶体表现出特征的自发辐射。此外，我们通过在这种材料中类似的微观结构实现了世界上最小的激光器。基于这些结果，我们实现了简单的结构和工艺的二维光子晶体，并在本研究中获得了室温激光操作。此外，我们还研究了一些相关技术，高提取效率LED、线缺陷光子晶体波导、基于特殊色散特性的超棱镜滤波器和光偏转器、三阶非线性光子晶体和高效率输入/输出接口。

High performance and large scale integration required for next era photonic networks are difficult to realize within the present technology. Photonic crystals (PCs) allow the extremely strong optical confinement by their multi-dimensional periodic structures, ultrahigh speed and efficient light emission, and large scale integration by the high density optical wiring. In this study, we investigated semiconductor two-dimensional (2D) PC lasers and related technologies. 2D PCs with an in-plane periodicity has a less effective light control, but enables the easier fabrication, compared with 3D PCs. The introduction of a point defectprovides the in-plane resonance, which results in the Purcell effect and the thresholdless lasing operation. The introduction of a line defect provides a small optical waveguide with sharp bends, which can be used for high density optical wiring. However, at the first stage of the PC research, the structure needed a high aspect ratio process of semiconductors and a low surface recombination velocity material. This restricted applications of PCs. In our early study, we employed InP-based materials with a slow surface recombination velocity, and fabricated the 2D crystal exhibiting a characteristic spontaneous emission. In addition, we achieved a world smallest laser by a similar microstructure in this material. Based on these results, we realized simple structures and processes of the 2D PC and obtained the room temperature lasing operation in this study. In addition, we studied some related technologies, i.e., a high extraction efficiency LEDs, line defect photonic crystal waveguides, superprism filter and optical deflector based on peculiar dispersion characteristics, third order nonlinear photonic crystals and high efficiency input/output interfaces.