Résumé
The evolution towards smart, compact, low power and affordable optical gas sensors to monitor our environment requires the integration of III-V optoelectronic devices with a silicon photonicsbased platform. Although two approaches, bonding and direct epitaxy, are possible, the latter appears to be the most promising long-term solution. The antimonide-based compound semiconductors (ABCS), which are particularly suitable for the development of mid-infrared optoelectronics (2-5 µm), where the absorption of pollutants (CH4, CO, HF, ...) is very strong, make them the best candidate for the realization of monolithically integrated mid-IR lasers on silicon substrates. However, differences in crystal structure, lattice constants, thermal expansion coefficients have made this topic extremely challenging. In this presentation we will review the recent results on mid-IR interband lasers grown on (001) Si substrates and compare their performance with those grown on their native substrate. For the 2-3 µm wavelength range, the properties of GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb type-I quantum well (QW) lasers will be presented [1, 2], while for the 3-5 µm wavelength range, the properties of type-II interband cascade lasers with high threading dislocation density will be discussed [3, 4].
These two approaches will allow to cover the whole wavelength range between 2 and 5 µm and will show that Sb-based lasers pave the way for the future epitaxial integration of III-Vs on Si.