What is a Hybrid Silicon Laser?
A hybrid silicon laser is a new type of laser, developed in 2006 by Intel and the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB). This laser is made from group III-V semiconductor materials (e.g. Gallium(III) arsenide, Indium(III) phosphide) of the same type used in mass-produced computer chips, as well as silicon. A hybrid silicon laser is distinct from the laser diodes we currently use in our computers and CD players, based on Indium Phosphide, which must be individually assembled and aligned for each unit, and cannot be mass-produced in the same way as computer chips. Separate III-V semiconductor wafers must be used to fabricate current laser diodes. Hybrid silicon lasers are primarily made of silicon, and are fabricated on a silicon wafter, which we have extensive experience at mass-manufacturing thanks to photolithography and the computing revolution. Hybrid silicon lasers will greatly drop the cost of building a laser. Although hybrid silicon lasers will also use indium phosphide
