Reversible Carrier Modulation in InP Nanolasers by Ionic Liquid Gating with Low Energy Consumption.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) require compact nanoscale light sources.
• III-V semiconductor nanowire (NW) lasers offer a compact footprint and high optical gain.
• Controlling emissive properties of NWs is crucial for their application in PICs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To actively control carrier concentrations in indium phosphide (InP) nanowires (NWs).
• To modify the emissive properties of InP NWs at room temperature.
• To develop an efficient gating mechanism for NW lasers.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing ionic liquid (IL) as a dielectric layer for gate control.
• Applying a gate voltage to modulate carrier concentration in InP NWs.
• Investigating the switching behavior between photoluminescence (PL) and lasing.

Main Results:

• Achieved repetitive switching between PL and lasing in InP NW lasers.
• Demonstrated a 22-fold extinction ratio by applying a 3 V gate voltage.
• IL gating achieved ≈100-fold higher efficiency than conventional bottom gates due to ultra-high capacitance from the electric double layer (EDL).

Conclusions:

• Ionic liquid-gated InP NW lasers offer efficient control over optical emission.
• The developed device is a promising platform for advanced integrated nanophotonic systems.
• Ultra-high capacitance of IL-based EDL enhances gating efficiency significantly.