Single-nanowire electrically driven lasers

Abstract

Electrically driven semiconductor lasers are used in technologies ranging from telecommunications and information storage to medical diagnostics and therapeutics. The success of this class of lasers is due in part to well-developed planar semiconductor growth and processing, which enables reproducible fabrication of integrated, electrically driven devices. Yet this approach to device fabrication is also costly and difficult to integrate directly with other technologies such as silicon microelectronics. To overcome these issues for future applications, there has been considerable interest in using organic molecules, polymers, and inorganic nanostructures for lasers, because these materials can be fashioned into devices by chemical processing. Indeed, amplified stimulated emission and lasing have been reported for optically pumped organic systems and, more recently, inorganic nanocrystals and nanowires. However, electrically driven lasing, which is required in most applications, has met with several difficulties in organic systems, and has not been addressed for assembled nanocrystals or nanowires. Here we investigate the feasibility of achieving electrically driven lasing from individual nanowires. Optical and electrical measurements made on single-crystal cadmium sulphide nanowires show that these structures can function as Fabry-Perot optical cavities with mode spacing inversely related to the nanowire length. Investigations of optical and electrical pumping further indicate a threshold for lasing as characterized by optical modes with instrument-limited linewidths. Electrically driven nanowire lasers, which might be assembled in arrays capable of emitting a wide range of colours, could improve existing applications and suggest new opportunities.

Phase-Correlated Nondirectional Laser Emission from the End Facets of a ZnO Nanowire

“…Such nanolasers are usually pumped optically, but electrically driven lasers have also been demonstrated. 9 The development of coherent light sources on the nanoscale opens the door toward miniaturized spectroscopic systems and photonic circuits. On the other hand, extended research is required to investigate novel effects due to the small diameter of the nanolaser cavity, 17 which is often beyond the diffraction limit of the emitted light.…”

Tuning Light Absorption in Core/Shell Silicon Nanowire Photovoltaic Devices through Morphological Design

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] For example, the optical properties of arrays of nano-and microscale wires have been exploited for enhanced light absorption in photovoltaic devices, [16][17][18][19] however, the ability to substantially manipulate absorption in individual nanoscale structures has not been well established. In order to quantify optical resonances supported in individual NWs, scattering [20][21][22] and absorption cross-sections 5,6,11,[23][24][25][26] have been measured or calculated.…”

Simultaneous Tunable Selection and Self-Assembly of Si Nanowires from Heterogeneous Feedstock

“…for chemical/biological sensing applications and their ability to be solution-processed and assembled from "semiconducting inks" using various alignment techniques, make them potential key building blocks for the manufacturing of chemical and biological sensors, [1][2][3] high performance field-effect transistors (FETs), [4][5][6] optical devices, 7,8 memory elements [9][10][11] and energy harvesting. 12,13 The availability of high quality semiconducting NWs in scalable quantities remains one of the main challenges for NW-based printed electronics.…”