Tunable nanoblock lasers and stretching sensors
1Department of Photonics and Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Rm. 401 CPT Building, 1001 Ta-Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan. tsanwenlu@gmail.com potsung@mail.nctu.edu.tw.
Nanoscale
|October 8, 2016
Summary
We developed reconfigurable nanolasers using stretchable materials for tunable telecommunication light sources. These nanolasers also function as highly sensitive strain sensors, demonstrating wide wavelength tuning and reliable performance.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Nanolasers are crucial for photonic integrated circuits, requiring tunable wavelengths for flexible light sources.
- Existing nanolasers often lack reconfigurability and wide-range tunability in telecommunication bands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate tunable nanolasers based on 1D nanoblocks in stretchable polydimethylsiloxane.
- To achieve reconfigurable and reliable wavelength tuning for telecommunication applications.
- To explore the potential of these nanolasers as highly sensitive strain sensors.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 1D nanoblocks embedded in stretchable polydimethylsiloxane.
- Characterization of laser wavelength tunability under applied strain.
- Testing of reliability and reconfigurability through repeated stretching and relaxation cycles.
- Utilizing differential signals from perpendicular nanolaser pairs for enhanced strain sensing.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated large wavelength tunability of 7.65 nm per 1% elongation.
- Achieved wide wavelength tuning over 80 nm (S, C, and L bands) with excessive stretching.
- Confirmed reconfigurable and reliable performance under repeated tests.
- Obtained an enhanced strain sensing response of 9.9 nm/% with a minimum detectable elongation of 0.056%.
Conclusions:
- The developed nanoblock lasers offer reliable, tunable light sources for telecommunications.
- These nanolasers serve as highly sensitive on-chip structural deformation sensors.
- The proposed system integrates tunable light source and sensing functionalities on a single platform.
