Semiconducting single wall carbon nanotubes (s-SWNT) have recently attracted a lot of interest due to their tunable direct band gap, making them first-rate candidate for new optoelectronic and photonic applications at telecom wavelengths. In this focus, the objective of the thesis was the determination of semiconducting carbon nanotube optical properties as a function of environment, especially the influence of metallic nanotubes. The selective extraction of semiconducting nanotubes, performed in collaboration with AIST Tsukuba in Japan, led to an enhancement of light emission and a reduction of optical absorption. Moreover, the first evidences of optical gain in (8,6) et (8,7) s-SWNT were demonstrated in highly purified semiconducting carbon nanotubes sample. The optical integration between silicon based nanostructures and carbon nanotubes as an active material was studied. The coupling of the photoluminescence from nanotubes into silicon waveguides was experimentally demonstrated. This work paves the way towards the realization of an integrated light source based on carbon nanotubes in silicon and on the long run, towards carbon nanotube photonics.
