(Invited) Epitaxial III-V Nanomaterials on the Si Platform for Quantum and Data Communications

As Si-based integrated photonic components begin to replace older technologies for optical data communications, the need for better integration of semiconductor lasers on the Si platform is greater than ever. In addition, emerging interest in integrated-photonic-based quantum computing and quantum sensing presents a further need for quantum light emitters—entangled and single-photon—on Si. III-V quantum dots represent a promising solution, both for the active region of telecommunications-wavelength lasers and for quantum emitters. However, epitaxial quantum dots grown on conventional (100) substrates typically lack the high symmetry required for entangled-photon emission. This presentation will discuss our recent work to develop a novel approach for III-V direct growth on Si via an ultrathin (<10 nm) single crystal strain relieving buffer layer, realized by the selective oxidation and condensation of an amorphous SiGe surface layer. The fabrication and properties of this novel Ge-rich buffer layer, as well as its use for subsequent III-V organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy will be presented. The second part of the talk will present our recent work on the epitaxial growth and characterization of (In,Ga)As quantum dots for the above-mentioned applications. Specifically, I will show that surface-energy-modifying surfactants (Sb, Bi) present the possibility to externally direct quantum dot formation “on-demand” in strained InAs layers on GaAs(111) substrates, where quantum dot formation by the Stranski–Krastanov process does not naturally occur. These nanostructures are prospective for high-symmetry entangled-photon emitters. The three-dimensional (3D) composition profile of InAs quantum dot layers is characterized by atom-probe microscopy (APT), elucidating the real-world quantum dot matrix. This 3D composition data is input into a finite element solver to determine the quantum dot energies and wavefunctions for electrons and holes. The modeling reveals that in high-density quantum dot layers, the electron and hole states are hybridized between multiple quantum dots in the matrix. This has important consequences for design of quantum dot light emitters. The predicted transition energies are in agreement with low-temperature photoluminescence. This work constitutes a promising approach for integrating telecommunications-wavelength quantum dot lasers and entangled photon emitters on the Si integrated photonics platform.