Nanowire Lasers
We review principles and trends in the use of semiconductor nanowires as gain media for stimulated emission and lasing. Semiconductor nanowires have recently been widely studied for use in integrated optoelectronic devices, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells, and transi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2015-05-01
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| Series: | Nanophotonics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2015-0005 |
| Summary: | We review principles and trends in the use of semiconductor nanowires as gain
media for stimulated emission and lasing. Semiconductor nanowires have recently
been widely studied for use in integrated optoelectronic devices, such as
light-emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells, and transistors. Intensive research
has also been conducted in the use of nanowires for subwavelength laser systems
that take advantage of their quasione- dimensional (1D) nature, flexibility in
material choice and combination, and intrinsic optoelectronic properties. First,
we provide an overview on using quasi-1D nanowire systems to realize
subwavelength lasers with efficient, directional, and low-threshold emission. We
then describe the state of the art for nanowire lasers in terms of materials,
geometry, andwavelength tunability.Next,we present the basics of lasing in
semiconductor nanowires, define the key parameters for stimulated emission, and
introduce the properties of nanowires. We then review advanced nanowire laser
designs from the literature. Finally, we present interesting perspectives for
low-threshold nanoscale light sources and optical interconnects. We intend to
illustrate the potential of nanolasers inmany applications, such as nanophotonic
devices that integrate electronics and photonics for next-generation
optoelectronic devices. For instance, these building blocks for nanoscale
photonics can be used for data storage and biomedical applications when coupled
to on-chip characterization tools. These nanoscale monochromatic laser light
sources promise breakthroughs in nanophotonics, as they can operate at room
temperature, can potentially be electrically driven, and can yield a better
understanding of intrinsic nanomaterial properties and surface-state effects in
lowdimensional semiconductor systems. |
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| ISSN: | 2192-8606 2192-8614 |