"OPTICS: laser demos silicon-opto convergence"

Intel Corp. claims to have developed the world's first all-silicon laser chip. The team foiled silicon's indirect bandgap, which ordinarily prevents lasers from emitting light efficiently, by using stimulated Raman scattering to generate enough optical gain to allow lasing. By pumping 0.4 microwatt into an on-chip silicon waveguide, the team achieved sufficient gain to initiate 100-nanosecond laser pulses at the 1,669.5-nm wavelength. "We are reporting Raman lasing in a compact, all-silicon waveguide cavity on a single silicon chip. With devices like this we are demonstrating the true convergence of silicon and optoelectronics," said Mario Paniccia, director of Intel's Photonic Technology Lab.
Text: http://eet.com/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=57300450