Laurent Cerutti

Université de Montpellier | UM1 · Institut d'Electronique et des Systèmes

We demonstrate that including the second viscosity of an electron gas in the hydrodynamic model allows for highly accurate modeling of the optical response of heavily doped semiconductors. In our setup, which improves resonance visibility compared to previous approaches, plasmon resonances become more distinct, allowing for detailed analysis of the...

Interband Cascade Lasers (ICLs) are semiconductor lasers emitting in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR 3-6 {\mu}m) and can operate as frequency combs (FCs). These demonstrations are based on double section cavities that can reduce dispersion and/or are adapted for radio-frequency operation. Here we show that ICLs FCs at long wavelengths, where the refrac...

We propose a strategy to monolithically integrate active III-V lasers and passive dielectric devices, where the passive waveguides are fabricated after the MBE growth of the III-V semiconductors on a planar Si substrate. This avoids any airgap at the active/passive interface, replaced by a thin dielectric interface layer which improves the light co...

Interband cascade lasers typically have significantly lower threshold current and power consumption than quantum cascade lasers. They can also have advantages regarding costs and compactness with the photonic integration onto silicon substrates by epitaxial growth. This research introduces a novel examination of the relative intensity noise and the...

Nonlinear dynamics at mid-infrared wavelength is of interest for various applications but has been mainly limited to quantum cascade lasers so far. In this article, we show that interband cascade lasers can generate complex optical chaos with bandwidth in the GHz range and this outperforms the performances of quantum cascade laser chaos. The chaos...

We report on Sb-based interband cascade lasers simultaneously grown on GaSb, GaAs and Si substrates. 8 µm x 2 mm devices exhibited similar threshold currents around 40 mA at 20°C and achieved continuous-wave (CW) operation up to 65°C on GaSb, GaAs and Si substrates despite a dislocation density of ∼ 4.108 cm⁻² for both mismatched substrates. In the...

The high-speed parameters of an interband cascade laser grown on silicon are analyzed through the prism of relative intensity noise. The evolution of the relaxation frequency allows deriving a modulation bandwidth in the GHz range.

This work demonstrates mid-infrared data transmission using an epitaxial interband cascade laser on silicon emitting at 3.5 µm. Direct modulation at 5 Gbit/s with on-off keying is achieved at room temperature while digital signal processing is used to further improve the system performance.

Non-destructive, reliable, and accurate measurements of low doping levels and carrier lifetimes in small direct-bandgap semiconductors such as indium arsenide (InAs) at room temperature are challenging due to intrinsic limitations of conventional experimental techniques. In this article, we introduce a contactless optical-terahertz (THz) pump–probe...

In this work we show Frequency Comb (FC) and short pulsed operation of mid-infrared Interband Cascade Lasers (ICLs) in a single long section. This is through the use of an adapted ultrafast Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIPs), and correlating the microwave beatnotes with high resolution spectra of the ICL. In particular, we will show activ...

The pursuit for enhanced light‐matter interactions using ever more suitable plasmonic materials has led to the development of novel bulk materials, such as ϵ‐near‐zero (ENZ) media. The ability to control the free carrier density gives semiconductors a significant advantage over traditionally used noble metals and phonon‐based materials as ENZ media...

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) at room temperature and standard atmosphere pressure remains so far the backbone of THz photonics in numerous applications for civil and defense levels. Plasmonic microstructures and metasurfaces are particularly promising for improving THz spectroscopy techniques and developing biomedical and environmen...

Silicon (Si) photonics has recently emerged as a key enabling technology in many application fields thanks to the mature Si process technology, the large silicon wafer size, and promising Si optical properties. The monolithic integration by direct epitaxy of III–V lasers and Si photonic devices on the same Si substrate has been considered for decad...

This work reports on the precise control of III-V semiconductors’ antiphase domain formation and evolution during the epitaxial growth on an “on-axis” Si (001) substrate with a very low but controlled miscut. Especially, it is shown how, starting from a Si surface having a regular array of terraces, the crystal polarity of thin GaAs epilayers grown...

Silicon photonics can have a major impact on the advancement of mid-IR photonics by leveraging the mature and reliable high-volume fabrication technologies already developed for microelectronic integrated circuits. Germanium, already used in silicon photonics, is a promising material for increasing the operating wavelength of Group-IV-based photoni...

Silicon photonics is a promising technology for the fabrication of dense photonic chips, thanks to the very mature silicon industry. The direct epitaxial growth of III–V lasers on silicon is one of the main challenges for the realization of compact and robust mid-infrared sensors based on photonic integrated circuits. The crystal defects arising fr...

Space-to-ground high-speed transmission is of utmost importance for the development of a worldwide broadband network. Mid-infrared wavelengths offer numerous advantages for building such a system, spanning from low atmospheric attenuation to eye-safe operation and resistance to inclement weather conditions. We demonstrate a full interband cascade s...

There is currently much activity toward the integration of mid-infrared semiconductor lasers on Si substrates for developing a variety of smart, compact, sensors based on Si-photonics integrated circuits. We review this rapidly-evolving research field, focusing on the epitaxial integration of antimonide lasers, the only technology covering the whol...

Silicon (Si) photonics can have a major impact on the development of mid-IR photonics by leveraging on the reliable and high-volume fabrication technologies already developed for microelectronic integrated circuits. Germanium (Ge), already used in Si photonics, is a prime candidate to extend the operating wavelength of Group IV-based photonic integ...

The design of a single-mode interband cascade laser (ICL) using a slotted waveguide is presented. This technique was explored as an inexpensive alternative to distributed feedback lasers since standard photolithography can be used in fabrication and complex techniques, such as e-beam lithography, re-growth steps, and/or metal gratings, can be avoid...

Chemical warfare agents including nerve agents, e.g., sarin, are part of the organophosphorous compounds group known for their extreme lethal potency towards humans. With increasing risks of exposure to these molecules, there is a need for sensitive and selective detection. Infrared absorption spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the identifica...

We simulate the optical coupling between $2.3{\bm{\ \mu m}}$ GaSb-based diode lasers (DLs) epitaxially grown on on-axis silicon (001) and passive waveguides in the butt-coupling geometry. 3D FDTD simulations reveal how the optical coupling is affected by the air gap between the laser cavity and the waveguide that arises from the laser etched-face...

We present experimental studies on low-temperature (T=4.2K) carrier dynamics in (Ga,In)(Sb,Bi)/GaSb quantum wells (QWs) with the nominal In content of 3.7% and the Bi ranging from 6 to 8%. The photoreflectance experiment revealed the QW bandgap evolution with -33±1meV/at % Bi, which resulted in the bandgap tunability roughly between 629 and 578meV,...

Type-II quantum well (QW) Interband Cascade Lasers (ICL) have now become the most efficient laser source in the Mid-infrared spectral range (spanning the 3-6 µm). Their widespread for commercial applications such as trace gas or industrial monitor processing is still limited by the use of small size and expensive GaSb and InAs substrates. Alternati...

This study deals with the communication capabilities of two kinds of semiconductor lasers emitting in one of the atmosphere transparency windows, around 4 $\mu$ m. One of these two lasers is a quantum cascade laser and the other one is an interband cascade laser. With the quantum cascade laser, a subsequent attenuation is added to the optical pat...

We analyze the dynamics features of 4.1 µ m optical chaos generated experimentally bya Fabry-Perot interband cascade laser. The numerical simulations we perform with the Lang-Kobayashi model are in good agreement with the experimental findings.

Combination of interband cascade laser and interband cascade infrared pho-todetector allows demonstrating free-space transmission at 16 GBit/s in the thermal atmospheric window around 4 µm, paving the way towards energy-efficient mid-infrared communication.

We have fabricated from the same epitaxial wafer series of GaSb‐based Fabry–Pérot laser diodes emitting near 2.3 μm with different ridge etching‐depths. The analysis of the device performances allows quantifying the detrimental impact of deep ridge etching. The threshold current density is increased, whereas the external differential quantum effici...

III-V semiconductor lasers integrated on Si-based photonic platforms are eagerly awaited by the industry for mass-scale applications, from interconnect to on-chip sensing. The current understanding is that only quantum dot lasers can reasonably operate at the high dislocation densities generated by the III-V-on-Si heteroepitaxy, which induces high...

The formation and propagation of anti-phase boundaries (APBs) in the epitaxial growth of III-V semiconductors on Silicon is still the subject of great debate, despite the impressive number of studies focusing on this topic in the last past decades. The control of the layer phase is of major importance for the future realization of photonic integrat...

Interband cascade lasers are semiconductor lasers emitting in the mid-infrared domain but relying on interband transitions, contrary to their intersubband counterparts, quantum cascade lasers. Our experimental study of the relative intensity noise in a multi-mode interband cascade laser at 4.1 μm shows that the room-temperature structure exhibits a...

We report GaSb-based laser diodes (LDs) grown on on-axis (001) Si substrates and emitting at 2.3 µm. Two series of LDs were studied and compared. For the first series, a GaAs-based buffer layer was first grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) before growing the laser heterostructure by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). For the second...

A key component for the realization of silicon-photonics is an integrated laser operating in the important communication band near 1.55 μm. One approach is through the use of GaSb-based alloys, which may be grown directly on silicon. In this study, silicon-compatible strained Ga0.8In0.2Sb/Al0.68In0.32Sb composite quantum well (CQW) lasers grown on...

We experimentally display temporal chaotic waveforms in the mid-infrared domain with two different types of semiconductor lasers. The generated high-dimensional non-linear dynamics are of prime interest for private communications and physical random number generation.

We experimentally realize a free-space transmission over one meter with room-temperature quantum cascade lasers and interband cascade lasers. With direct electrical modulation and raw analysis, the data-rate of the real-time transmission outperforms similar reported schemes.

A key component for the realization of silicon-photonics are integrated lasers operating in the important communications band near 1.55 ${\mu}$m. One approach is through the use of GaSb-based alloys which may be grown directly on silicon. In this study, silicon-compatible strained Ga$_{0.8}$In$_{0.2}$Sb/Al$_{0.35}$Ga$_{0.65}$As$_{0.03}$Sb$_{0.97}$...

We demonstrate an interband cascade resonant cavity light emitting diode (IC-RCLED) operating near 3.3 µ m at room temperature. The device is composed of a Sb-based type-II interband-cascade active zone enclosed between two distributed Bragg mirrors (DBR). The bottom high reflective DBR is composed of GaSb/AlAsSb quarter-wave layers. A metamorphic...

We report on 2.3-µm etched-cavity GaSb-based laser diodes (LDs) epitaxially integrated on on-axis (001)Si and benchmarked against their cleaved facet counterparts. The LDs were grown in two steps. First, a GaSb-on-Si template was grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) before the growth of the LD heterostructure by molecular-beam epitaxy...

Here we clarify the central role of the miscut during group III-V/group IV crystal growth. We show that the miscut impacts the initial antiphase domain distribution, with two distinct nucleation-driven (miscut typically >1°) and terraces-driven (miscut typically

We present InAs/AlSb quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) monolithically integrated on an on-axis (001) Si substrate. The lasers emit near 8 μm with threshold current densities of 0.92–0.95 kA/cm² at 300 K for 3.6-mm-long devices and operate in pulsed mode up to 410 K. QCLs of the same design grown for comparison on a native InAs substrate demonstrated a...

The direct epitaxial growth of III-V semiconductor lasers on standard, CMOS-compatible, on-axis (001) Si substrates is actively sought for the realization of active photonic integrated circuits. Here we report on the first mid-infrared semiconductor laser epitaxially grown on on-axis Si substrates, i.e., compatible with industry standards. Furtherm...

Here, we clarify the central role of the miscut during group III-V/ group IV crystal growth. We show that the miscut first impacts the initial antiphase domain distribution, with two distinct nucleation-driven and terraces-driven regimes. It is then inferred how the antiphase domain distribution mean phase and mean lateral length are affected by th...

A metamaterial perfect absorber based on layered, doped and undoped semiconductors is experimentally and theoretically investigated. Design rules are given to control the multispectral, narrow, strong absorption features (>98% absorption) in the mid‐IR spectrum. The proposed sub‐wavelength grating structures support localized surface plasmons and p...

The combination of semiconductor plasmonics with microfluidics allows surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy of molecules in the flow regime. Exploiting semiconductor plasmonics enables surface-enhanced mid-IR spectroscopy from 4 μm to 20 μm and accesses the so-called molecular fingerprint region from 6.7 μm to 20 μm (1500-500 cm⁻¹). Besides addres...

Dilute bismuth (Bi) III-V alloys have recently attracted great attention, due to their properties of band-gap reduction and spin-orbit splitting. The incorporation of Bi into antimonide based III-V semiconductors is very attractive for the development of new optoelectronic devices working in the mid-infrared range (2-5 $\mu$m). However, due to its...