Electroabsorption in gated GaAs nanophotonic waveguides

We report on the analysis of electroabsorption in thin GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As nanophotonic waveguides with an embedded p-i-n junction. By measuring the transmission through waveguides of different lengths, we derive the propagation loss as a function of electric field, wavelength, and temperature. The results are in good agreement with the Franz-Keldysh model of electroabsorption extending over 200meV below the GaAs bandgap, i.e., in the wavelength range of 910-970nm. We find a pronounced residual absorption in forward bias, which we attribute to Fermi-level pinning at the waveguide surface, producing over 20dB/mm loss at room temperature. These results are essential for understanding the origin of loss in nanophotonic devices operating in the emission range of self-assembled InAs semiconductor quantum dots toward the realization of scalable quantum photonic integrated circuits.