Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
06:42
Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
8.9K
Telecom-band multiwavelength vertical emitting quantum well nanowire laser arrays
Xutao Zhang1, Fanlu Zhang2, Ruixuan Yi3
1Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics, Xi'an Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE) and Xi'an Institute of Biomedical Materials & Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127 West Youyi Road, 710072, Xi'an, China.
Light, Science & Applications
|September 3, 2024
Summary
Researchers developed on-substrate vertical lasing from nanowire arrays for advanced optical and quantum communications. This breakthrough enables compact, multiwavelength laser sources essential for next-generation telecom technologies.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics and Photonics
- Materials Science
- Quantum Technologies
Background:
- Next-generation optical and quantum communication systems require compact, multiwavelength laser sources operating in the telecom band.
- Highly integrated optoelectronic and photonic systems are crucial for these advanced technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report on-substrate vertical emitting lasing from ordered InGaAs/InP multi-quantum well core-shell nanowire arrays.
- To develop a novel nanowire facet engineering approach for reduced optical loss and tailored cavity modes.
- To achieve controlled quantum well nanowire dimensions with uniform morphology and high crystal quality.
Main Methods:
- Epitaxial growth of InGaAs/InP multi-quantum well core-shell nanowire arrays on an InP substrate using selective area epitaxy.
- Development of a nanowire facet engineering strategy for precise dimension control.
- Demonstration of stimulated emission using a vertical Fabry-Pérot cavity formed by the nanowire facet and substrate interface.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated on-substrate vertical lasing from single nanowires within an array with a threshold of ~28.2 μJ cm⁻² and characteristic temperature of ~128 K.
- Achieved room-temperature, single-mode lasing across a broad near-infrared range (940 nm to O and C telecom bands) by tuning In composition.
- Confirmed the formation of a vertical Fabry-Pérot cavity due to quantum confinement and facet engineering.
Conclusions:
- The developed facet engineering strategy enables the creation of highly ordered, uniform nanowire arrays with precise dimension control.
- These arrays can simultaneously deliver thousands of nanolasers emitting at multiple wavelengths on a single substrate.
- This research provides a promising and scalable pathway for future advanced optoelectronic and photonic systems, particularly in telecommunications.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Electronic Distance Measuring Instruments
Electronic Distance Measuring Instruments (EDMs) are essential tools in modern surveying, offering precise distance measurements by emitting electromagnetic signals and calculating the time required for these signals to travel to a target and return. Two primary types of signals are used in EDMs — light waves and microwaves — each suited to specific environmental and distance requirements. Light-wave-based EDMs utilize either infrared or laser light, providing high accuracy over short distances...
01:31Energy Stored In A Coaxial Cable
A coaxial cable consists of a central copper conductor used for transmitting signals, followed by an insulator shield, a metallic braided mesh that prevents signal interference, and a plastic layer that encases the entire assembly.
In the simplest form, a coaxial cable can be represented by two long hollow concentric cylinders in which the current flows in opposite directions. The magnetic field inside and outside the coaxial cable is determined by using Ampère's law. The magnetic field inside...
In the simplest form, a coaxial cable can be represented by two long hollow concentric cylinders in which the current flows in opposite directions. The magnetic field inside and outside the coaxial cable is determined by using Ampère's law. The magnetic field inside...
01:24The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Electromagnetic waves are categorized according to their wavelengths and frequencies, giving the electromagnetic spectrum. These waves are classified as radio, infrared, ultraviolet, etc. Radio waves refer to electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from millimeters to kilometers. Radio waves are commonly used for audio communications (i.e., radios) and typically result from an alternating current in the wires of a broadcast antenna. They cover a broad wavelength range and are used...
01:23Lossless Lines
In electrical engineering, a lossless transmission line is characterized by a purely imaginary propagation constant and a resistive characteristic impedance. The ABCD parameters, which describe the relationship between the input and output voltages and currents, indicate an equivalent π circuit with an imaginary series impedance and a shunt admittance. This results in a transmission line that, when the product of the phase constant (beta) and the length of the line is less than pi, exhibits...
01:22Intensity Of Electromagnetic Waves
The energy transport per unit area per unit time, or the Poynting vector, gives the energy flux of an electromagnetic wave at any specific time. For a plane electromagnetic wave with E0 and B0 as the peak electric and magnetic fields and traveling along the x-axis, the time-varying energy flux can be given by the following equation:
01:10Generating Electromagnetic Radiations
The German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) was the first to generate and detect certain types of electromagnetic waves in the laboratory. Starting in 1887, he performed a series of experiments that confirmed the existence of electromagnetic waves and verified that they travel at the speed of light. Hertz used an alternating-current RLC (resistor-inductor-capacitor) circuit that resonated at a known frequency and connected it to a loop of wire. High voltages induced across the gap in the...