III-V on Silicon Devices and Systems for Next Generation Optical Interconnects

如英特尔、IBM、惠普、思科、NVIDIA等主要科技公司所看到的，快速成熟的硅光子学领域已经转移到工业领域。主要应用是用于数据通信/电信应用的光互连。为了进一步颠覆这一技术，在具有更好的可制造性和可扩展性的硅平台上集成有源器件是实际需要。解决这一问题的主要方案是在硅上直接外延集成III-V材料。通常在硅上外延生长的有源器件使用量子阱。然而，外延的晶体缺陷限制了它的性能和寿命。由于其缺陷、温度和辐射硬度，量子点是进一步提高性能和寿命以达到更好的可扩展性和可制造性标准的主要候选者。本博士的目标是发明和开发量子点器件的概念验证，以克服传统的在硅上外延生长III-V的挑战。博士将在化合物半导体制造中心(www.comoundSemductorhub.org)的框架下开展工作，该中心由35个工业伙伴和4所大学组成，目标是发展从材料到系统的化合物半导体研究。其中，Oclaro、Kaiam、MicroSemi、IQE和Newport Wafer Fab是相关利益集团。在加的夫，可以完成从晶片生长到光电子器件封装的完整概念验证周期。化合物半导体研究所和卡迪夫大学在开发从晶片生长到最终表征的硅上III-V量子点激光器方面有着悠久的传统。PHD的目标是用更多基于化合物半导体的量子点有源器件来补充激光器，使其沉积在硅上。

The fast maturing field of Silicon Photonics is already being transferred to Industry as seen by the main technological companies: E.g. Intel, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Cisco, Nvidia, etc. The main application is optical interconnects for datacom/telecom applications. To further disrupt the technology, it is an actual need to integrate active devices on the silicon platform with better manufacturability and scalability. The main candidate to solve it is the direct epitaxial integration of III-V materials on Si. The active devices normally epitaxially grown on Si use quantum wells. Nevertheless, the crystalline defects of the epitaxy limits its performance and lifetime. Due to its defects, temperature and radiation hardness, quantum dots are the main candidate to further improve performance and lifetimes towards a better scalability and manufacturability standard.The goal of this PhD is to invent and develop the proof-of-concept of quantum dot devices in order to overcome the traditional challenges of epitaxial growth of III-V over Si. The PhD will work on the framework of the Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Hub (www.compoundsemiconductorhub.org), which relates 35 industrial partners and 4 universities, with the objective of developing compound semiconductor research from materials to systems. Among them, Oclaro, Kaiam, Microsemi, IQE and Newport Wafer Fab are of relevant interest. At Cardiff, it is possible to do the complete proof-of-concept cycle from wafer growth until packaging of optoelectronic devices.The Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff University has long tradition on developing III-V quantum dot lasers over Si from wafer growth until the final characterization. The objective of the PhD is to complement the laser with further quantum dot active devices based on compound semiconductors to deposit over Si.