Grating-coupled mid-infrared light emission from tensilely strained germanium nanomembranes

Mechanically stressed nanomembranes are used to demonstrate mid-infrared interband light emission from Ge within the 2.1–2.5 μm atmospheric transmission window. Large biaxial tensile strain is introduced in these samples to convert Ge into a (near-) direct-bandgap semiconductor and to red-shift its luminescence. A diffractive array of Ge pillars is used to outcouple the long-wavelength interband radiation, which is otherwise primarily emitted in the sample plane. An order-of-magnitude strain-induced enhancement in radiative efficiency is also reported, together with the observation of luminescence signatures associated with photonic-crystal cavity modes. These results are promising for the development of silicon-compatible lasers for mid-infrared optoelectronics applications.