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Electrically driven deep ultraviolet MgZnO lasers at room temperature.
Mohammad Suja1, Sunayna Binte Bashar1, Bishwajit Debnath1
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States.
Scientific Reports
|June 3, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed deep ultraviolet (UV) semiconductor lasers using magnesium zinc oxide (MgZnO). These room-temperature, continuous-current lasers achieve a 284 nm wavelength, paving the way for advanced UV applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Optoelectronics
- Solid-State Physics
Background:
- Deep ultraviolet (UV) semiconductor lasers are crucial for applications like water purification, medical diagnostics, and data storage.
- Electrically driven deep UV lasers remain a significant technological challenge, with limited success to date.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize deep UV MgZnO semiconductor lasers.
- To achieve continuous current mode operation at room temperature with scalable emission wavelengths.
Main Methods:
- Growth of wide bandgap MgZnO thin films with varying Mg mole fractions on c-sapphire substrates using radio-frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy.
- Fabrication of metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) random laser devices via lithography and metallization.
- Numerical modeling to understand carrier generation and recombination mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Demonstration of deep UV MgZnO semiconductor lasers operating in continuous current mode at room temperature.
- Achieved shortest emission wavelength of 284 nm.
- Reported very low threshold current densities of 29–33 A/cm².
- Identified impact ionization as the hole carrier generation mechanism in MgZnO MSM devices.
Conclusions:
- MgZnO semiconductor lasers offer a promising pathway for efficient deep UV light generation.
- The interaction of electrons and holes in MgZnO MSM devices leads to coherent random lasing.
- These findings enable scalable deep UV laser technology for diverse applications.
