Traditionally, edge-emitter lasers are considered as the candidate for on-chip optical links. However, because mirrors are hard to form in these lasers and because the lasers occupy a large chip area, researchers have been challenged to find a practical way to monolithically integrate the mirrors on silicon chips.

Now, electrical engineers at The University of Texas at Arlington and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created a laser at just 2 µm to combat this challenge. The device’s lower profile could make it cheaper and easier for manufacturers to integrate high-speed optical data connections into the microprocessors powering the next generation of computers.

To read more: http://www.photonics.com/