Strain engineering of vertical (110) InGaAs/InP quantum wells laterally grown on (001) SOI

Selective lateral heteroepitaxy provides a cost-effective and high-density option for monolithically integrating III–V lasers on Si-photonics. Compared with planar (001) quantum wells (QWs) using conventional vertical epitaxy, lateral epitaxy produces vertical (110)-oriented QWs with distinct structural, optical, and epitaxial characteristics. Understanding these unique properties is vital for future realization of electrically driven membrane lasers. Here, we report the compositional and structural engineering of strained (110) InGaAs/InP QWs laterally grown on (001) SOI substrates. We first calculated the critical thickness and band edge emission wavelength of (110)-oriented InGaAs QWs and established a theoretical model for growth of telecom strained (110) QWs. We then discovered that low In/III ratios and high V/III ratios facilitate the formation of buried heterostructures and result in unexpected high indium composition of the (110) facet. Finally, we obtained buried compressively strained and tensile-strained InGaAs/InP QWs, with central emission wavelengths at C and O bands. Our results offer essential insights for constructing active regions for electrically pumped membrane lasers at telecom band.