Optimisation of microdisk parameters to improve existing microdisk designs

• Main Author: Muhammad Syafiq Muhammad Farouk
• Other Authors: Nam Donguk
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Optics, optoelectronics, photonics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/149434
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the minimisation of microchips in accordance with Moore’s Law, a major limiting factor in the performance of microchips is the interconnect bottleneck. The interconnect bottleneck is caused by the physical connections between components in a microchip such as metal wiring becoming the limiting factor. To resolve this, the research on the replacement of metallic interconnects with optical interconnects has been ongoing. However, a major issue with this approach is the lack of a CMOS-compatible laser for the photonic integrated circuit. Thus, to develop a laser for the integrated circuit, Ge and GeSn lasers are being researched due to their compatibility in these circuits. High Q-factor values are typically observed in microdisks lasing cavities. Furthermore, due to the small footprint and ease of fabrication of microdisks, microdisks are crucial components in the realisation of the design for the PICs. Thus, Ge and GeSn microdisks will be the focus of the simulations in this project. In this project, the optimisation of microdisk lasers will be studied to attain minimum optical losses and maximum output during the lasing procedure. This will be carried out through the use of the simulation software, Lumerical FDTD. Through these simulations, the project aims to analyse the different parameters for the microdisk, while at the same time, describe the effects and impact of the changes in the variables on the Q-factor or resonance wavelengths of the microdisk.