Low-threshold optically pumped lasing in highly strained Ge nanowires
Shuyu Bao, Daeik Kim, Chibuzo Onwukaeme, Shashank Gupta, Krishna Saraswat, Kwang Hong Lee, Yeji Kim, Dabin Min, Yongduck Jung, Haodong Qiu, Hong Wang, Eugene A.… 展开作者
Shuyu Bao, Daeik Kim, Chibuzo Onwukaeme, Shashank Gupta, Krishna Saraswat, Kwang Hong Lee, Yeji Kim, Dabin Min, Yongduck Jung, Haodong Qiu, Hong Wang, Eugene A. Fitzgerald, Chuan Seng Tan, Donguk Nam
The integration of efficient, miniaturized group IV lasers into CMOS architecture holds the key to the realization of fully functional photonic-integrated circuits. Despite several years of progress, however, all group IV lasers reported to date exhibit impractically high thresholds owing to their unfavorable bandstructures. Highly strained germanium with its fundamentally altered bandstructure has emerged as a potential low-threshold gain medium, but there has yet to be any successful demonstration of lasing from this seemingly promising material system. Here, we demonstrate a low-threshold, compact group IV laser that employs germanium nanowire under a 1.6% uniaxial tensile strain as the gain medium. The amplified material gain in strained germanium can sufficiently surmount optical losses at 83 K, thus allowing the first observation of multimode lasing with an optical pumping threshold density of ~3.0 kW cm^-^2. Our demonstration opens up a new horizon of group IV lasers for photonic-integrated circuits.
10 μm lasing is studied in a compact CO2-He cell pressurized up to 15 atm when optically pumped by a ~50 mJ Fe:ZnSe laser tunable around 4.3 μm. The optimal pump wavelength and partial pressure of CO2 for generating 10 μm pulses are found to be ~4.4 μm and 0.75 atm, respectively. Without cavity optimization, the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency reached ~10% at a total pressure of 7 atm. The gain lifetime is measured to be ~1 μs at pressures above 10 atm, indicating the feasibility of using high-pressure optically pumped CO2 for the efficient amplification of picosecond 10 μm pulses.
Gaseous ammonia has previously been demonstrated as a compelling gain medium for a quantum cascade laser pumped molecular laser (QPML), exhibiting good power efficiency but limited tunability. Here we explore the potential of the ammonia QPML to produce powerful, broadly tunable terahertz frequency lasing on rotational and pure inversion transitions. After theoretically predicting possible laser frequencies, pump thresholds, and efficiencies, we experimentally demonstrate unprecedented tunability -- from 0.762 to more than 4.5 THz -- by pumping Q- and R-branch infrared transitions with widely …
We numerically performed wave dynamical simulations based on the Maxwell-Bloch (MB) model for a quadrupole-deformed microcavity laser with spatially selective pumping. We demonstrate the appearance of an asymmetric lasing mode whose spatial pattern violates both the x- and y-axes mirror symmetries of the cavity. Dynamical simulations revealed that a lasing mode consisting of a clockwise or counterclockwise rotating-wave component is a stable stationary solution of the MB model. From the results of a passive-cavity mode analysis, we interpret these asymmetric rotating-wave lasing modes by the l…
We report on the observation of backward lasing at 391.4 nm of nitrogen ions pumped by linearly polarized intense femtosecond pulses at 800 nm. The strongly enhanced spectral intensity at 391.4 nm, as well as the amplification of an externally injected backward seeding pulse, confirm that the backward 391.4 nm signal is due to optical amplification in the gas plasma. Compared to the forward emission at 391.4 nm, the optimal backward emission is achieved at a lower gas pressure around 10 mbar, which is due to asymmetry of the backward and forward directions rooted in the traveling excitation ge…
We report a two-step process to obtain smooth and vertical {10-10} m-plane facets in AlGaN/GaN separate confinement heterostructures designed to fabricate UV lasers emitting at 355 nm. The process consists in a dry etching by RIE-ICP combined with a crystallographic-selective wet etching process using a KOH-based solution. The anisotropy in the wet etching rates between the different crystallographic planes of the AlGaN structure, allows the fabrication of flat and parallel facets without a degradation of the multilayered ensemble. The optical performance of the lasers display a major improved…
Using a high-Q diamond microresonator (Q > 300,000) interfaced with high-power-handling directly-written doped-glass waveguides, we demonstrate a Raman laser in an integrated platform pumped in the near-visible. Both TM-to-TE and TE-to-TE lasing is observed, with a Raman lasing threshold as low as 20 mW and Stokes power of over 1 mW at 120 mW pump power. Stokes emission is tuned over a 150 nm (60 THz) bandwidth around 875 nm wavelength, corresponding to 17.5% of the center frequency.
We design and fabricate an on-chip laser source that produces a directional beam with low spatial coherence. The lasing modes are based on the axial orbit in a stable cavity and have good directionality. To reduce the spatial coherence of emission, the number of transverse lasing modes is maximized by fine-tuning the cavity geometry. Decoherence is reached in a few nanoseconds. Such rapid decoherence will facilitate applications in ultrafast speckle-free full-field imaging.
Random lasers (RLs) are intriguing devices with promising applications as light sources for imaging, sensing, super resolution spectral analysis or complex networks engineering. RLs can be obtained from optically pumped dyes, optical fibers and crystals, or electrically pumped semiconductor heterostructures. Semicon-ductor RLs are usually fabricated by introducing scattering defects into the active layer, adding a degree of complexity to the fabrication process and losing the ease of realization potentially offered by disordered structures. Ready availability of electrically pumped RLs, avoidi…
The surprising recent observation of highly emissive triplet-states in lead halide perovskites accounts for their orders-of-magnitude brighter optical signals and high quantum efficiencies compared to other semiconductors. This makes them attractive for future optoelectronic applications, especially in bright low-threshold nano-lasers. Whilst non-resonantly pumped lasing from all-inorganic lead-halide perovskites is now well-established as an attractive pathway to scalable low-power laser sources for nano-optoelectronics, here we showcase a resonant optical pumping scheme on a fast triplet-sta…
Metal halide perovskites have emerged as promising gain materials for on-chip lasers in photonic integrated circuits (PICs). However, stable continuous wave (CW) lasing behavior under optical pumping at room temperature - a prerequisite for electrically pumped lasing - has not yet been demonstrated. To achieve stable CW operation, we introduce a multiplex of strategies that include morphological, structural and interfacial engineering of CH3NH3PbBr3 (MAPbBr3) thin films to improve perovskite's intrinsic stability, as well as high quality cavity design to reduce the operational power. We demons…
By introducing methyl fluoride (CH$_3$F) as a new gain medium for a quantum cascade laser-pumped molecular laser (QPML), we demonstrate continuous-wave lasing from more than 120 discrete transitions spanning the frequency range 0.25 to 1.3 THz. The unprecedented degree of spectral tuning achieved with CH$_3$F also confirms the universality of the QPML concept: for all polar gas molecules, lasing can be induced on any dipole-allowed rotational transition by sufficient pumping of a related roto-vibrational transition using a continuously tunable quantum cascade laser.
Efficient and cost-effective Si-compatible lasers are a long standing wish of the optoelectronic industry. In principle, there are two options. For many applications, lasers based on III-V compounds provide compelling solutions, even if the integration is complex and therefore costly. However, where low costs and also high integration density are crucial, group-IV-based lasers - made of Ge and GeSn, for example - could be an alternative, provided their performance can be improved. Such progresses will come with better materials but also with the development of a profounder understanding of the…
The thermal lensing effects in the lasing crystal appear to be dominant when the pump laser focused on the lasing crystal which causes the local heating effect. The spatial refractive index variations observed if the crystal has non-uniform temperature distribution. In the present study, the demonstration of thermal lensing effect of Brewster-cut Ti: Sapphire crystal carried out when pumped by 25 ps pulses at 80 MHz repetition rate with 532 nm central wavelength, while the average pump power controlled by the attenuator. The thermal lensing effects measured first at the ~293 K temperature and …
GeSn alloys are the most promising semiconductors for light emitters entirely based on group IV elements. Alloys containing more than 8 at.% Sn have fundamental direct band-gaps, similar to conventional III-V semiconductors and thus can be employed for light emitting devices. Here, we report on GeSn microdisk lasers encapsulated with a SiNx stressor layer to produce tensile strain. A 300nm GeSn layer with 5.4 at.% Sn, which is an indirect band-gap semiconductor as-grown with a compressive strain of -0.32 %, is transformed via tensile strain engineering into a truly direct band-gap semiconducto…
Parity-time (PT) symmetry is a new method to get single mode operation in lasers, mostly, micro-ring lasers. In this study, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an electrically pumped PT symmetric Fabry-Perot (FP) laser which can work with a mode selection. The proposed laser could achieve the PT symmetric condition by an electrical manipulation of the interplay between gain and loss in two FP resonators. The single mode lasing is demonstrated at 1574.6nm with a 20.81dB sidemode suppression ratio.
A cavity-free laser in the sky could lead to revolutionary improvements in optical remote sensing for atmospheric science. Abundant in air, nitrogen molecules are prime candidates as an active medium for such a laser. Nitrogen molecules, either neutral or singly ionized, exhibit a significant optical gain in the UV regime when pumped by an intense femtosecond laser. Despite numerous works, the physical origin of this lasing is still not understood. Here we offer a consistent interpretation of all experimental facts by introducing a concept drawn from the field of quantum optics: transient lasi…
For the first time, lasing at NV$^{-}$ centers in an optically pumped diamond sample is achieved. A nanosecond train of 150-ps 532-nm laser pulses was used to pump the sample. The lasing pulses have central wavelength at 720 nm with a spectrum width of 20 nm, 1-ns duration and total energy around 10 nJ. In a pump-probe scheme, we investigate lasing conditions and gain saturation due to NV$^{-}$ ionization and NV$^{0}$ concentration growth under high-power laser pulse pumping of diamond crystal.
Comparative study of thin film Cholesteric Liquid Crystal (CLC) lasers made from different materials and optically pumped by external solid state laser reveals a striking dependence of lasing behaviour (ranging from single mode at the edge of the selective reflection band to multimode lasing) on the morphology and microstructure of CLC films. The materials studied belong to two groups: low molar mass liquid crystals and polymers. It is shown that the orientation of individual chiral domains and fluctuations in helical pitch contribute significantly to the type of lasing displayed by the materi…
Solution-processed organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites have recently emerged as promising gain media for tunable semiconductor lasers, and have come to rival inorganic III-V group semiconductors as the material candidate for chip-scale lasers. Although electrically pumped lasing at room temperature is the ultimate goal, optically pumped continuous-wave lasing at room temperature,a prerequisite for a laser diode,has not been achieved so far. Here, we report lasing action in a surface emitting distributed feedback methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite laser on silicon substrate, a…
Topological insulator lasers (TILs) are a recently introduced family of lasing arrays in which phase locking is achieved through synthetic gauge fields. These single frequency light source arrays operate in the spatially extended edge modes of topologically non-trivial optical lattices. Because of the inherent robustness of topological modes against perturbations and defects, such topological insulator lasers tend to demonstrate higher slope efficiencies as compared to their topologically trivial counterparts. So far, magnetic and non-magnetic optically pumped topological laser arrays as well …
Rapid development of Fabry-Perot quantum cascade laser frequency combs has converted them from laboratory devices to key components of next-generation fast molecular spectrometers. Recently, free-running ring quantum cascade lasers allowed generation of new frequency comb states induced by phase turbulence. In absence of efficient light outcoupling, ring quantum cascade lasers are not suited for applications as they are limited in their power output to microwatt levels. Here we demonstrate electrically pumped ring quantum cascade lasers with integrated active directional couplers. These device…
Two-photon pumped lead halide perovskite nanowire lasers
溶液法制备的卤化铅钙钛矿在太阳能电池和微激光器中显示出非常光明的前景。最近，钙钛矿的非线性开始引起相当大的研究关注。二次谐波产生和双光子吸收已被成功地证明。然而，基于非线性的钙钛矿结构的微纳激光器等器件还没有出现.在这里，我们展示了来自钙钛矿纳米线的双光子泵浦纳米激光。采用一步溶液自组装法合成了钙钛矿型纳米线CH3NH3PbBr3，并将其分散在玻璃衬底上。在800 nm光激发下，在546 nm附近成功地观察到了具有周期性峰值的双光子泵浦激光效应。获得的双光子泵浦纳米激光器的品质因子约为960，相应的阈值约为674？J= cm 2。Q因子和阈值都与二维多边形微孔板中的传统回音壁模式相当。我们的研究是首次在钙钛矿纳米线中实现双光子泵浦的纳米激光。我们相信这一发现将极大地拓展钙钛矿在光限幅、光开关、生物医学成像等低成本非线性光学器件中的应用。
Lasers that operate in the visible wavelength range and can be easily integrated on a chip together with photonic integrated circuits are of particular interest for biophotonic applications. We present a new class of laser sources that emit at 600 nm wavelength and can be efficiently integrated on the $\mathrm{Si}_3\mathrm{N}_4$ platform using low-cost fabrication techniques. The $\mathrm{Si}_3\mathrm{N}_4$-organic hybrid lasers are optically pumped from top without the need of a precise alignment. We investigate different laser geometries based on spiral shaped ring resonators and distributed…
We demonstrate the first optically pumped sub-300 nm UV laser structures grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on single-crystal bulk AlN. The edge-emitting laser structures fabricated with the AlN/AlGaN heterostructures exhibit multi-mode emission with peak gain at ~284 nm. Having the goal of electrically injected, continuous wave deep-UV AlGaN laser diodes in mind, with its intrinsic material challenges of achieving sufficient optical gain, the optical cavity loss of a laser diode should be minimized. We derive an expression to quantify the effect of mirror imperfections, including…
On-chip light sources are critical for the realization of fully integrated photonic circuitry. So far, semiconductor miniaturized lasers have been mainly limited to sizes on the order of a few microns. Further reduction of sizes is challenging fundamentally due to the associated radiative losses. While using plasmonic metals helps to reduce radiative losses and sizes, they also introduce Ohmic losses hindering real improvements. In this work, we show that, making use of quasi-bound states in the continuum, or supercavity modes, we circumvent these fundamental issues and realize the smallest pu…
