Modelling and design of an electrically-pumped DFB laser based on an erbium-doped silicon-rich silicon oxide layer embedded in a slot waveguide

Abstract

The development of a high-performance DFB laser compatible with the CMOS technology is essential for the future development of silicon photonics. In this paper the preliminary results on modelling and design of a distributed feedback silicon laser are reported. The gain medium, which is a layer of erbium doped silicon-rich silicon oxide, is embedded in a horizontal slot waveguide. The designed device includes a grating with 140 periods and a quarter-wave phase shift at the grating middle. The threshold gain coefficient of the laser is 0.4 cm-1 and the emission wavelength is very close to 1.55 μm.