The ability to fabricate semiconductor wafers with spatially selected regions of different bandgap material is required for the fabrication of monolithic photonic integrated circuits (PIC's). Although this subject has been studied for three decades and many semiconductor engineering approaches have been proposed, the problem of achieving reproducible results has constantly challenged scientists and engineers. This concerns not only the techniques relaying on multiple sequential epitaxial growth and selective area epitaxy, but also the conventional quantum well intermixing (QWI) technique that has been investigated as a post-growth approach for bandgap engineering. Among different QWI techniques, those based on the use of different lasers appear to be attractive in the context of high-precision and the potential for cost-effective bandgap engineering. For instance, a tightly focused beam of the infrared (IR) laser could be used for the annealing of small regions of a semiconductor wafer comprising different quantum well (QW) or quantum dot (QD) microstructures. The precision of such an approach in delivering wafers with well defined regions of different bandgap material will depend on the ability to control the laser-induced temperature, dynamics of the heating-cooling process and the ability to take advantage of the bandgap engineering diagnostics. In the frame of this thesis, I have investigated IR laser-induced QWI processes in QW wafers comprising GaAs/A1GaAs and InP/InGaAsP microstructures and in InAs QD microstructures grown on InP substrates. For that purpose, I have designed and set up a 2-laser system for selective area rapid thermal annealing (Laser-RTA) of semiconductor wafers. The advantage of such an approach is that it allows carrying out annealing with heating-cooling rates unattainable with conventional RTA techniques, while a tightly focused beam of one of the IR lasers is used for `spot annealing'. These features have enabled me to introduce a new method for iterative bandgap engineering at selected areas (IBESA) of semiconductor wafers. The method proves the ability to deliver both GaAs and InP based QW/QD wafers with regions of different bandgap energy controlled to better than « 1nm of the spectral emission wavelength. The IBESA technique could be used for tuning the optical characteristics of particular regions of a QW wafer prepared for the fabrication of a PIC. Also, this approach has the potential for tuning the emission wavelength of individual QDs in wafers designed, e.g., for the fabrication of single photon emitters. In the 1st Chapter of the thesis, I provide a short review of the literature on QWI techniques and I introduce the Laser - RTA method. The 2nd Chapter is devoted to the description of the fundamental processes related to the absorption of laser light in semiconductors. I also discuss the results of the finite element method applied for modeling and semi-quantitative description of the Laser - RTA process. Details of the experimental setup and developed procedures are provided in the 3rd Chapter. The results concerning direct bandgap engineering and iterative bandgap engineering are discussed in the 4th and 5th Chapters, respectively.

Depuis plusieurs années, le volume de données échangé à travers le monde augmente sans cesse. Pour gérer cette large quantité d’information, des débits élevés de transmission de données sur de longues distances sont essentiels. Puisque les interconnections à base de cuivre ne peuvent pas suivre cette tendance, des systèmes de transmission optique rapides sont requis dans les centre de données. Dans ce contexte, la photonique sur silicium est considérée comme une solution pour obtenir des circuits photoniques intégrés à un coût réduit. Bien que cette technologie ait connu une croissance significative au cours de la dernière décennie, les transmetteurs actuels à haut débit de transmission sont principalement basés sur des sources laser externes. Par conséquent, l’objectif de ce travail de thèse était de concevoir et produire un transmetteur à haut débit de transmission de données pour la photonique sur silicium, doté d’une source laser intégrée.Ce transmetteur se compose d’un modulateur silicium de type Mach-Zehnder, co-intégré sur la même plaque avec un laser hybride III-V sur silicium à réseaux de Bragg distribués, dont la longueur d’onde d’émission peut être contrôlée électriquement autour de 1.3μm. La conception des différents éléments constituant à la fois le laser (coupleurs adiabatique entre le III-V et le silicium, miroirs de Bragg) et le modulateur (jonctions p-n, électrodes à ondes progressives) est détaillée, de même que leur fabrication. Pendant la caractérisation des transmetteurs, des taux de transmission de données jusqu’à 25Gb/s, pour des distances allant jusqu’à 10km ont été démontrés avec succès, avec la possibilité de contrôler la longueur d’onde jusqu’à 8.5nm. Par ailleurs, afin d’améliorer l’intégration de la source laser avec le circuit photonique sur silicium, une solution basée sur le dépôt à basse température (en-dessous de 400°C) d’une couche de silicium amorphe pendant la fabrication est aussi évaluée. Des tests sur une cavité laser à contre-réaction distribuée ont montré des performances au niveau de l’état de l’art (avec des puissances de sortie supérieures à 30mW), prouvant ainsi la viabilité de cette approche. / For several years, the volume of digital data exchanged across the world has increased relentlessly. To manage this large amount of information, high data transmission rates over long distances are essential. Since copper-based interconnections cannot follow this tendency, high-speed optical transmission systems are required in the data centers. In this context, silicon photonics is seen as a way to obtain fully integrated photonic circuits at an expected low cost. While this technology has experienced significant growth in the last decade, the high-speed transmitters demonstrated up to now are mostly based on external laser sources. Thus, the aim of this PhD thesis was to design and produce a high-speed silicon photonic transmitter with an integrated laser source.This transmitter is composed of a high-speed silicon Mach-Zehnder, co-integrated on the same wafer with a hybrid III-V on silicon distributed Bragg reflector laser, which emission wavelength can be electrically tuned in the 1.3μm wavelength region. The design of the various elements constituting both the laser (III-V to silicon adiabatic couplers, Bragg reflectors) and the modulator (p-n junctions, travelling-wave electrodes) is thoroughly detailed, as well as their fabrication. During the characterization of the transmitters, high-speed data transmission rates up to 25Gb/s, for distances up to 10km are successfully demonstrated, with the possibility to tune the operating wavelength up to 8.5nm. Additionally, in order to further improve the integration of the laser source with the silicon photonic circuit, a solution based on the low-temperature (below 400°C) deposition of an amorphous silicon layer during the fabrication process is also evaluated. Tests on a distributed feed-back laser structure have shown performances at the state-of-the-art level (with output powers above 30mW), thus establishing the viability of this approach.

Tesis por compendio / [ES] El desarrollo científico y tecnológico de las últimas décadas ha dado lugar a sistemas sensores capaces de obtener, procesar y transmitir información sobre multitud de aspectos físicos y químicos, y utilizarla para mejorar aspectos clave de multitud de áreas de nuestra sociedad. Los sensores químicos son dispositivos compactos y miniaturizados capaces de ofrecer soluciones alternativas a las técnicas de análisis instrumental convencionales. En especial, los biosensores han adquirido gran relevancia por los avances que han supuesto para sectores estratégicos como el diagnóstico clínico, la industria alimentaria y el medio ambiente. Los biosensores ópticos se basan en interacciones entre la luz y la materia para transducir eventos de bioreconocimiento y presentan prestaciones importantes como la estabilidad, inmunidad a estímulos externos y versatilidad en el desarrollo de aproximaciones sin marcaje (label-free). Este último aspecto suele aprovechar fenómenos nanoscópicos y su desarrollo se encuentra muy ligado al progreso de la nanociencia y nanotecnología. Un aspecto clave en el biosensado sin marcaje consiste en descubrir y desarrollar nuevas estrategias de transducción. En este sentido, aunque se encuentren aun en una etapa temprana de desarrollo, los biosensores difractivos presentan un gran potencial en términos de simplicidad, miniaturización, y capacidad para minimizar señales no deseadas fruto de interacciones no específicas, entre otros aspectos. / [CA] El desenvolupament científic i tecnològic de les últimes dècades ha donat lloc a sistemes sensors capaços d'obtindre, processar i transmetre informació sobre multitud d'aspectes físics i químics, i utilizar-la per a millorar aspectes clau de multitud d'arees de la nostra societat. Els sensors químics són dispositius compactes i miniaturitzats capaços d'oferir solucions alternatives a les tècniques d'analisi instrumental convencionals. Especialment, els biosensors han adquirit gran rellevància pels avanços que han suposat per als sectors estratègics com el diagnòstic clínic, la industria alimentària i el medi ambient. Els biosensors òptics es basen en interaccions entre la llum i la matèria per a transduir esdeveniments de bioreconèixement i presenten prestacions importants com estabilitat, immunitat a estímuls externs i versatilitat en el desenvolupament d'aproximacions sense marcatge (label-free). Aquest últim aspecte sol aprofitat fenòmens nanoscòpics i el seu desenvolupament es troba molt lligat al progrés de la nanociència i nanotecnologia. Un aspecte clau en el biosensat sense marcatge consisteix a descobrir i desenvolupar noves estratègies de transducció. En aquest sentit, encara que es troben fins i tot en una etapa primerenca de desenvolupament, els biosensors difractius presenten un gran potencial en termes de simplicitat, miniaturització, i capacitat per a minimitzar senyals no desitjats fruit d'interaccions no específiques, entre altres aspectes. / [EN] The scientific and technological progress in recent decades has given rise to sensor systems capable of obtaining, processing, and transmitting information on a multitude of physical and chemical aspects and using it to improve key aspects of many areas of our society. Chemical sensors are compact, miniaturized devices capable of offering alternative solutions to conventional instrumental analysis techniques. In particular, biosensors have become highly relevant due to the progress they have brought to strategic sectors such as clinical diagnostics, the food industry, and the environment. Optical biosensors rely on interactions between light and matter to transduce biosensing events and provide important features such as stability, immunity to external stimuli, and versatility in the development of label-free approaches. This last aspect usually exploits nanoscopic phenomena and its development in closely linked to the progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology. A key aspect of label-free biosensing is the discovery and development of new transduction strategies. In this regard, although they are at an early stage of development, diffractive biosensors offer great potential in terms of simplicity, miniaturization, and the ability to minimize unwanted signals from non-specific interactions, among other aspects. / This work was financially supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/Agencia Estatal de Investigación (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) co-funded by the European Union “ERDF A way of making Europe” (PID2019-110713RB-I00, TED2021-132584B-C21, PID2019-110877GB-I00), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (TEC2016-80385-P), Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2019/048 PROMETEO/2020/094, PROMETEO/2021/015, IDIFEDER/2021/046). A.J.D. ackowledges the FPI-UPV 2017 grant program. The authors acknowledge Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona CNM-CSIC for the support in the fabrication of the measured chip samples on the Multiproject CNM-VLC silicon nitride technology platform. / Juste Dolz, AM. (2023). Biogratings: Diffractive Transducers for Biosensing in Photonic Platforms [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/194251 / Compendio