Si is the most prevalent semiconductor in today’s information technology and it enables advanced integrated circuits with mature CMOS manufacturing capability. Meanwhile, group III-V compound semiconductors are the material of choice in the optoelectronic market, benefited by their direct band gap and superior electron transport property. Monolithic III-V on Si integration could result in a multitude of new devices and multi-functional circuit applications, having recently been fueled by high electron mobility transistors and the booming development of Si photonics technology. Introducing nanometer-scale III-V on (001) Si as a channel material could enable further scaling of the CMOS technology. Moreover, synergizing III-V alloys at telecom wavelengths and the Si photonic platform for i...[ Read more ]

Si is the most prevalent semiconductor in today’s information technology and it enables advanced integrated circuits with mature CMOS manufacturing capability. Meanwhile, group III-V compound semiconductors are the material of choice in the optoelectronic market, benefited by their direct band gap and superior electron transport property. Monolithic III-V on Si integration could result in a multitude of new devices and multi-functional circuit applications, having recently been fueled by high electron mobility transistors and the booming development of Si photonics technology. Introducing nanometer-scale III-V on (001) Si as a channel material could enable further scaling of the CMOS technology. Moreover, synergizing III-V alloys at telecom wavelengths and the Si photonic platform for inter/intra-chip optical interconnects could well address the communication bottlenecks of present Si-based microprocessors. Therefore, the monolithic integration of III-V with Si CMOS processing technology is of key significance.

This thesis thus focuses on the growth of III-V compounds on CMOS compatible (001) Si substrates, and developing novel III-V/Si platforms for optoelectronic integration. First, InAs nano-fin arrays are selectively grown on Si by designing a unique three-step growth process. Coalesced InAs films and multi-stack InAs/GaSb nano-fins are realized by exploring robust growth controls. Targeting on-chip light sources, InP nano-ridges are successfully grown on 220 nm Si photonics SOI substrates, and room temperature InP/InGaAs nano-lasers are demonstrated.

Second, micrometer-scale InP/InGaAs crystals are laterally grown on SOI and the mismatched defects are confined at the InP/Si interface. Then, a monolithic InP/SOI platform is developed with in-plane InP sub-micron wire and large dimension InP membrane arrays. The potential of the platform for integrated photonics is evidenced by: the dislocation-free InP-on-insulator architecture intimately positioned with Si; the realization of sub-wavelength laser array and micro-disk lasers; the growth of p-i-n InP/InGaAs segments and InGaAs quantum wells, and the InP vertical regrowth. Finally, a catalyst-free growth scheme is devised for self-assembled InP nano-structures deposited on amorphous oxide by surface kink assisted epitaxy.