Work

Rolling‐Enabled Nonplanar Heterogeneous Integration for Polarization‐Diverse Nanolasers on Silicon Photonics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT The continued advancement of silicon photonics increasingly relies on heterogeneous integration beyond monolithic fabrication, with transfer printing emerging as a powerful strategy for deterministic and high‐precision assembly. However, existing transfer‐printing strategies remain fundamentally limited to planar integration, restricting access to orientation‐dependent optical functionalities. Here, we introduce a rolling‐enabled transfer‐printing strategy that enables deterministic nonplanar heterogeneous integration through precise mechanical orientation control at the nanoscale. By exploiting rolling‐induced rotation during assembly, identical photonic‐crystal nanobeam lasers are integrated onto silicon waveguides in planar or orthogonal configurations, enabling selective coupling to TE‐like or TM‐like modes without modifying the cavity design or epitaxial structure. Both configurations exhibit stable lasing and polarization‐resolved coupling to silicon waveguides, in good agreement with numerical simulations, confirming that mechanical orientation alone can define optical functionality. By establishing orientation control as a new degree of freedom in heterogeneous integration, this work elevates transfer printing from a placement technique to a functionality‐defining platform, opening new opportunities for compact, multifunctional, and reconfigurable photonic systems on silicon.

Source: Nanophotonics

DOI: 10.1002/nap2.70284