Near-Infrared Lasing at 1 μm from a Dilute-Nitride-Based Multishell Nanowire

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• Near-infrared (NIR) coherent photon sources are crucial for telecommunications, sensing, imaging, and metrology.
• Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are promising nanomaterials for miniaturized optical resonators and photonic gain media.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate NIR lasing at 1 μm from dilute nitride nanowires.
• To characterize the lasing properties and assess the potential for room-temperature operation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of GaAs/GaNAs/GaAs core/shell/cap dilute nitride nanowires with 2.5% nitrogen.
• Characterization of lasing performance, including pump-power dependence and emission line width.
• Analysis of single NW lasing parameters, such as threshold gain (gth) and spontaneous emission coupling factor (β).

Main Results:

• Achieved NIR lasing at 1 μm with S-shape pump-power dependence and narrowed emission line width.
• Derived a threshold gain (gth) of 4100-4800 cm⁻¹ and a spontaneous emission coupling factor (β) up to 0.8.
• Identified the lasing mode as the fundamental HE₁₁a mode, with optical polarization along the NW axis and a high characteristic temperature (T₀) of 160 K.

Conclusions:

• Dilute nitride nanowires demonstrate significant potential for nanophotonic applications.
• The achieved results present a viable alternative for room-temperature NIR nanowire (NW) lasers.
• Excellent alloy tunability and optical performance of dilute nitrides are key to these advancements.