Abstract
The epitaxial growth of high-quality InGaAs/GaAs nano-ridges on silicon using aspect ratio trapping (ART) and nano-ridge engineering (NRE) has paved the way for the monolithic integration of laser sources on silicon. This breakthrough holds significant potential for integrated silicon photonics, enabling a wide range of applications and opening new research avenues. In this approach, the active material is grown not as a uniform layer but rather as parallel nano-ridge (NR) arrays. Leveraging this intrinsic feature of NRE, we propose a novel approach for realizing a surface-emitting laser and present the first experimental demonstration of this device. The device consists of an array of nano-ridges forming an in-plane cavity that can lase and couple light vertically. Based on an extensive design study, we demonstrate an optically pumped surface-emitting epitaxially grown nano-ridge laser (NRSEL) integrated on a 300 mm silicon wafer, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first of its kind. We experimentally show lasing at the band edge of a photonic crystal by exploiting symmetry-protected bound states in the continuum (BICs). Additionally, we thoroughly characterize the far-field pattern. These findings lay the foundation for realizing high-density, integrated, and cost-effective electrically injected surface-emitting lasers on silicon.