Integration of optical fiber and optoelectronic devices

There is much current interest in integrated nanophotonics, as evidenced by the large amount of literature regarding silicon photonics, integration of direct bandgap semiconductors onto silicon chips, and related topics. Our group has been pursing a different, potentially complementary vision of all-fiber optoelectronics in which light can be generated, modulated, and detected within the fiber itself ^[1-5]. Fiber devices are in general valued for their robustness, simplicity, and ability to integrate seamlessly with existing fiber infrastructure. If the light never leaves the fiber, for example, difficulties associated with modal and impedance mismatches between fibers and planar semiconductor waveguides do not need to be overcome. Fiber lasers also integrate naturally with fibers, whereas using direct gap semiconductor lasers on chip remains an ongoing challenge.