Compact Tunable Laser with InGaAsP Photonic Crystal Nanorods for C-Band Communication

In this study, an ultracompact tunable laser with InGaAsP photonic crystal nanorods for optical communication was demonstrated within 10 μm footprint. The square photonic crystal nanorods with the InGaAsP quantum wells were fabricated and embedded in a flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. The high quality single mode lasing with low threshold around the symmetry point Г was achieved in experiments. The lasing wavelength can be linearly fine-tuned by varying the extension percentage of photonic crystals and the wavelength tunable range covers the whole conventional band communication ambit. The lasing wavelength shift is attributed to the PhC lattice distortion, and its tuning behavior agrees with the 3-D simulation results. This ultra-small, wide-range wavelength tunable laser can function as a novel light source for the chip-scale photonic integrated circuits and optics communication system.