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The inorganic-organic hybrid perovskites are of great interest for potential applications in high-performance optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells, lasers, and photodetectors. Here we design a perovskite-based hybrid plasmonic waveguide where the perovskite nanowire is separated from the silver substrate by a low-index MgF2 layer. The modal properties of the proposed waveguide and its potential application as nano-lasers are fully investigated by using the finite element method. The results show that the hybrid mode has the low propagation loss and high figure of merit. Specially, low gain thresholds less than 0.1 μm− 1 as well as Purcell factors over 13 are achieved with the optimized structure parameters at the wavelength of 1550 nm. The proposed waveguide may be beneficial to the development of low-threshold nano-laser devices and promote other applications in nanophotonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanolasers are the essential components of modern photonic chips due to their low power consumption, high energy efficiency and fast modulation. As nanotechnology has advanced, researchers have proposed a number of nanolasers operating at both wavelength and sub-wavelength scales for application as light sources in photonic chips. Despite the advances in chip technology, the quality of the optical cavity, the operating threshold and the mode of operation of the light source still limit its advanced development. Ensuring high-performance laser operation has become a challenge as device size has been significantly reduced. A potential solution to this problem is the emergence of a novel optical confinement mechanism using photonic topological insulator lasers. In addition, gain media materials with perovskite-like properties have shown great potential for lasers, a role that many other gain materials cannot fulfil. When combined with topological laser modes, perovskite materials offer new possibilities for the operation and emission mechanism of nanolasers. This study introduces the operating mechanism of topological lasers and the optical properties of perovskite materials. It then outlines the key features of their combination and discusses the principles, structures, applications and prospects of perovskite topological lasers, including the scientific hurdles they face. Finally, the future development of low-dimensional perovskite topological lasers is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal‒semiconductor heterojunction is imperative for the realization of electrically driven nanolasers for chip‐level platforms. Progress in developing such nanolasers has hitherto rarely been realized, however, because of their complexity in heterojunction fabrication and the need to use noble metals that are incompatible with microelectronic manufacturing. Most plasmonic nanolasers lase either above a high threshold (101‒103 MW cm−2) or at a cryogenic temperature, and lasing is possible only after they are removed from the substrate to avoid the large ohmic loss and the low modal reflectivity, making monolithic fabrication impossible. Here, for the first time, record‐low‐threshold, room‐temperature ultraviolet (UV) lasing of plasmon‐coupled core‒shell nanowires that are directly grown on silicon is demonstrated. The naturally formed core‒shell metal‒semiconductor heterostructure of the nanowires leads to a 100‐fold improvement in growth density over previous results. This unprecedentedly high nanowire density creates intense plasmonic resonance, which is outcoupled to the resonant Fabry‒Pérot microcavity. By boosting the emission strength by a factor of 100, the hybrid photonic‒plasmonic system successfully facilitates a record‐low laser threshold of 12 kW cm−2 with a spontaneous emission coupling factor as high as ≈0.32 in the 340‒360 nm range. Such architecture is simple and cost‐competitive for future UV sources in silicon integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice accumulation on brass surfaces can lead to heat transfer inefficiency, equipment degradation, and potential accidents. To address this issue, superhydrophobic surface technology is utilized. This work aims to develop superhydrophobic nanostructured brass surfaces using the combination of nanolaser ablation and the deposition of silica nanoparticles to achieve the anti-icing property. Four distinct types of brass surfaces namely, the bare surface (BS), the lasered surface (LS), the coated surface (CS), and the coated-lasered surface (CLS) were prepared. The anti-icing performances of the fabricated samples including the effects of the surface structure, the droplet size, and the surface temperature were investigated and evaluated. The results showed that the delayed icing time increased with the increases in the apparent contact angle, the droplet size, and the surface temperature. When the apparent contact angle increased, the contact area between the droplet and the cooling substrate reduced, leading to the longer delayed icing time. With the deposition of silica nanoparticles and nanolaser treatment, CLS achieved the greatest apparent contact angle of 164.5°, resulting in the longest delayed icing time under all experimental conditions. The longest delayed icing time on CLS recorded in this study was 2584 s, which was 575%, 356%, and 27% greater than those on BS, LS, and CS, respectively. The study also revealed that the surface structure played a more crucial role in achieving the anti-icing property when compared to the surface temperature or the droplet size. The shortest delayed icing time on CLS at the lowest surface temperature and at the smallest droplet size was longer than those on BS and LS at all conditions. The results were also discussed in relation to a heat transfer model. The findings of this research can serve as an avenue for advancing knowledge on heat transfer enhancement and energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We designed a novel perovskite plasmonic nanolaser based on a semiconductor–graphene–insulator–metal (SGIM) structure in the visible region, and the graphene is placed between an inorganic CsPbBr3 nanowire and a semi-circular silver ridge substrate deposited with silicon dioxide (SiO2). Based on the finite element method, the influences of the graphene thickness and CsPbBr3 nanowire radius on the mode characteristics and electric field distribution of the hybrid plasmonic waveguide were investigated. We obtained the optimal structure parameter of the hybrid plasmonic waveguide, which could achieve a low gain threshold of 0.72 μm−1 in the visible region. Furthermore, compared to a gold or copper bridge substrate, the plasmonic waveguide based on the sliver bridge substrate exhibited a smaller propagation loss and larger propagation distance, leading to a lower gain threshold. This work provides us a novel method for developing applications of nanolasers in the visible region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a nanoscale laser based on an asymmetric guided-mode resonance (AGMR) structure. The AGMR creates hybrid resonant modes, which consist of the newly generated quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BICs) and the intrinsic GMR mode. By modifying the structural parameters, the GMR and quasi-BICs modes can be matched with the pump and emission wavelengths of the gain medium, respectively. Therefore, high-intensity near fields of the GMR as the resonant optical pumping mode and high quality (Q) factor of the quasi-BICs as the resonant-emitting mode jointly contribute to the low-threshold lasing behavior. The finite-difference time-domain method is used to analyze the lasing characteristics, and a threshold of 14.2 μJ/cm2 is obtained, which is approximately ten times lower than that of a single-coupled mode laser. By adjusting the asymmetry parameters and fill factor of the grating, the threshold can be further reduced to 8.9 μJ/cm2. Additionally, we have also studied the feasibility of the AGMR structure by adjusting the simulation boundary conditions from periodic to perfectly matched layer to simulate a finite-sized structure. The findings provide a new way to excite hybrid modes, opening up possibilities for applications that demand highly confined fields and high Q-factors. • A quasi-BIC nanoscale laser based on guided-mode resonance structure is proposed. • Asymmetric and composite grating is introduced to excite the quasi-BICs resonance. • The lasing threshold is reduced by double matching of the GMR and quasi-BICs mode. • Lasing performance can be optimized by adjusting the structural parameters. • The effect of the number of grating periods on the lasing threshold is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the high contrast of the refractive indices at the end facets of a nanowire, lasing emission can be achieved in an individual nanowire without external, reflected feedback. However, the reflection provided by the end facet is not high enough to lower the threshold gain, especially for nanowires with smaller diameters. This work proposes a novel structure of nanowire laser partially sandwiched in double Ag gratings. Compared to a nanowire with a single metal grating or without a grating, the parallel double metal gratings play the reflector role with higher reflectivity to enhance the round-trip feedback and reduce the threshold gain. The reflective properties are calculated using the finite elements method. Simulation results show that a high reflectivity of more than 90% can be achieved when the number of periods is more than 8. The reflectivity of double gratings is 2.4 times larger than that of the nanowire end facet for large nanowire diameters. When the nanowire has a small diameter of 150 nm, the reflectivity of double gratings is 17 times larger than that of the nanowire end facet. Compared to a single grating, the reflective performance of double gratings is much better. Owing to the highly reflective properties of the double gratings, nanowires partially sandwiched in the double gratings can realize lasing emission at a very low threshold gain, and the period of the grating can be very short to benefit on-chip interconnection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybrid modes in the plasmonic quantum dot (QD) laser are modeled using the Marctili method. The model is then used to study the mode characteristics. The modes are going to cutoff point at zero propagation constant, while it goes to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) mode at higher photon energy. This behavior was different from that of waveguide modes shown in the dielectric waveguide. At plasmon resonance, hybrid mode is exactly one mode: surface plasmon polariton mode (perfect electric conductor). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubidium lead halides (RbPbX3), an important class of all‐inorganic metal halide perovskites, are attracting increasing attention for photovoltaic applications. However, limited by its lower Goldschmidt tolerance factor t≈0.78, all‐inorganic RbPbBr3 has not been reported. Now, the crystal structure, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, and band structure of perovskite‐phase RbPbBr3 has now been investigated. Perovskite‐phase RbPbBr3 is unstable at room temperature and transforms to photoluminescence (PL)‐inactive non‐perovskite. The structural evolution and mechanism of the perovskite–non‐perovskite phase transition were clarified in RbPbBr3. Experimentally, perovskite‐phase RbPbBr3 was realized through a dual‐source chemical vapor deposition and annealing process. These perovskite‐phase microspheres showed strong PL emission at about 464 nm. This new perovskite can serve as a gain medium and microcavity to achieve broadband (475–540 nm) single‐mode lasing with a high Q of about 2100. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Plasmonic lasers amplify the light coupled to oscillating electrons so that by adding momentum it becomes viable to have dimensions beyond diffraction limit of course this ability to focus light has the drawback of high losses at the metal surface. In this research considering the properties of periodic structures we formed the idea that placing plasmonic lasers in periodic structures may lead to distinct properties which are not seen in single plasmonic lasers. Simulation results for ZnO nanowire plasmonic laser show that in one dimensional periodic structures the dependency of the radiation light to the angle of incidence is increased so that one additional degree of freedom is obtained for controlling the nanolaser operation besides the minimum diameter of the nanowire to observe lasing is decreased from 120nm to 80 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A Markov model of semiconductor nanolaser is constructed in order to describe finely the effects of quantum fluctuations in the dynamics of the laser, in particular by considering the transition to lasing. Nanolasers are expected to contain only a small number of emitters, whose semiconductor bands are simulated using true carrier energy states. The model takes into account carrier-carrier interactions in the conduction and valence bands, but the result is a huge Markov chain that is often too demanding for direct Monte-Carlo simulation. We introduce here a technique to split the whole chain into two subchains, one referring to thermalization events within the bands and the other to laser photonic events of interest. The model is applied to the analysis of laser transition and enlightens the coexistence of a pulse regime triggered by the quantum nature of the photon with the birth of the known coherent cw regime. This conclusion is highlighted by calculated time traces. We show that on the ultrasmall scale of nanolasers, we are unable to define perfectly the threshold. Highlights • Nanolaser small sizes require new models accounting for the particle quantizations. • Semiconductor nanolaser are modeled as a continuous time Markov chains. • Time evolution are obtained using exact Monte Carlo algorithms. • The Markov chain is optimized owing to the canonical ensemble. • The new model allows a fine description of the semiconductor laser onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface plasmon polariton nanolaser, which can achieve all-optical circuits and optoelectronic integration, is a major research area in nano-optics. We propose a novel tunable nanolaser that combines graphene and traditional metal-dielectric waveguide. We can tune the gain threshold and ejection frequency according to changes in the electronic characteristics of graphene and the structural parameters of the nanolaser. When the Fermi energy level is 0.8 eV, the Q-factor can reach 85, thereby indicating the outstanding performance of the nanolaser in manufacturing. We also found that the gain threshold will stop increasing when carrier mobility is increased to 2000 푐푚2/V∙s. Compared with the conventional silver strip structure, the proposed nanolaser exhibits better performance at h_gap = 0 nm. On that condition, the optimal values of propagation loss and the normalized mode area are 0.13 and 0.0001 dB/μm, respectively. The proposed nanolaser can overcome the challenges of high speed, miniaturization, and integration in optoelectronic integrated technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emission intensity of GaInAsP semiconductors that show an ion sensitivity is altered by the surface charge. In this study, we propose a biosensing technique using GaInAsP photonic crystal nanolasers based on this principle. Here, simple and rapid detection of collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) is demonstrated, which is a promising biomarker candidate for neuropsychiatric diseases existing in peripheral white blood cells. We prepared CRMP2 as a standard protein and introduced sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as an anionic surfactant to enhance the net negative charge of the protein. The nanolaser was modified in advance with an anti-CRMP2 antibody and then photopumped at a constant power. The laser emission intensity was monitored during the antibody–antigen reaction. Consequently, CRMP2 was detected as a decrease in the emission intensity. We achieved a lower limit for detection of 3.8 μg/mL that satisfies the requirement for clinical biomarker testing. Without the requirements of any kind of labels and spectral analyses, this technique allows for simple, rapid, and low-cost biomarker detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compound semiconductor nanowires were integrated in silicon photonic crystals to form nano-cavities in arbitrary places, achieving the first nanowire laser that oscillates continuously at communication wavelengths. High-speed modulation at 10 Gbit/s was demonstrated. This laser is the ultimate hetero- structure material hybrid device, having gain material only within the cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ideal integrated light emitters for optical interconnects should be compact in size, high in modulation bandwidth, efficient in energy consumption and tunable in frequency. Nanolasers are excellent candidates for such an application. In this article, we review and offer further in-depth analyses in three key aspects of recent nanolaser research, including second order intensity correlation, g 2 (τ) , characterizations, direct modulation and electromagnetic isolation in a dual nanolaser system. For coherence characterization, we review a technique exploiting not only the photon bunching peak, but also the g 2 (τ) pulse width to determine the spontaneous emission (SE), amplified SE and lasing regimes of a nanolaser with a high SE factor, β . We show that this technique is applicable for lasers with β ′s ranging from 10 −5 to unity. Additionally, we demonstrate the first direct current modulation of an electrically pumped metallo-dielectric nanolaser (MDNL) at 30 MHz. Considering the viability of nanolasers for dense integration, we then review the electromagnetic coupling between two closely spaced MDNLs and identify two practical methods to eliminate such coupling. Lastly, we review the state-of-the-art development in and offer future perspectives on three other important areas of nanolaser research ― integration with silicon photonics, wide-range frequency tuning and dual nanolaser dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrating light at the deep subwavelength scale by utilizing plasmonic effects has been reported in various optoelectronic devices with intriguing phenomena and functionality. Plasmonic waveguides with a planar structure exhibit a two-dimensional degree of freedom for the surface plasmon; the degree of freedom can be further reduced by utilizing metallic nanostructures or nanoparticles for surface plasmon resonance. Reduction leads to different lightwave confinement capabilities, which can be utilized to construct plasmonic nanolaser cavities. However, most theoretical and experimental research efforts have focused on planar surface plasmon polariton (SPP) nanolasers. In this study, we combined nanometallic structures intersecting with ZnO nanowires and realized the first laser emission based on pseudowedge SPP waveguides. Relative to current plasmonic nanolasers, the pseudowedge plasmonic lasers reported in our study exhibit extremely small mode volumes, high group indices, high spontaneous emission factors, and high Purell factors beneficial for the strong interaction between light and matter. Furthermore, we demonstrated that compact plasmonic laser arrays can be constructed, which could benefit integrated plasmonic circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The movement of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) can be controlled by an external magnetic field. And Fe 3 O 4 @M (M = Ag or Au) core-shell NPs can exhibit both magnetic and plasmonic properties simultaneously. In this article, we theoretically proposed a plasmonic coupled nanolaser with tunable wavelength in full visible light range based on Fe 3 O 4 @M (magnetic-plasmonic) core-shell NPs/metal film coupled structure. We investigated the optical properties of the plasmonic coupled nanolasers with different core-shell NP sizes and gap distances between Fe 3 O 4 @M NPs and metal film by the finite element method (FEM). By controlling the gap distance and NP size, the wavelength of the plasmonic nanolaser based on Fe 3 O 4 @Ag NPs/Ag film coupled structure could be tuned from 415 to 810 nm, and that based on Fe 3 O 4 @Au NPs/Au film could be tuned from 536 to 779 nm. This work provides us a theoretical basis to real-time tune the wavelength of the plasmonic coupled nanolaser based on a liquid gain environment under an external magnetic field. • Magnetic-plasmonic nanolaser based on a coupling between LSP and SPP was designed. • Fe 3 O 4 @M (M = Ag or Au) core-shell NPs/metal film coupled structure was developed. • Optical properties with different NP sizes and gap distances were studied. • SPASER wavelength can be tuned in a range of 40–98 nm by changing gap distance. • Wavelength tunable range was extended to full visible region by changing NP size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent development of plasmonics has overcome the optical diffraction limit and fostered the development of several important components including nanolasers, low-operation-power modulators, and high-speed detectors. In particular, the advent of surface-plasmon-polariton (SPP) nanolasers has enabled the development of coherent emitters approaching the nanoscale. SPP nanolasers widely adopted metal-insulator-semiconductor structures because the presence of an insulator can prevent large metal loss. However, the insulator is not necessary if permittivity combination of laser structures is properly designed. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a SPP nanolaser with a ZnO nanowire on the as-grown single-crystalline aluminum. The average lasing threshold of this simple structure is 20 MW/cm2, which is four-times lower than that of structures with additional insulator layers. Furthermore, single-mode laser operation can be sustained at temperatures up to 353 K. Our study represents a major step toward the practical realization of SPP nanolasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the theoretical investigation of an electrically injected plasmonic nanolaser in visible regime. The green nanolaser is based on a hybrid waveguide which employs semiconductor nanowire gain medium to compensate the loss in metallic cavity. Two-dimensional sub-wavelength confinements (mode area about λ/100) and net modal gain are simultaneously achieved for quasi-one-dimensional surface plasmon mode supported in such waveguide. The device structure is further optimized for room temperature operation with achievable injected current density about several kilo ampere/square centimetres (kA/cm). The approach is also beneficial to developing other nanophotonic devices on sub-wavelength scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a low threshold and wavelength tunable plasmonic coupled nanolaser based on a plasmonic coupling between Au nanosphere and Au film. By the finite-element method, we investigate the optical properties of the plasmonic coupled nanolaser with different nanosphere diameters and gap distances between Au nanosphere and Au film. The optical cross section of the plasmonic nanolaser based on the coupled nanostructure can be 60 times larger than that based on an independent Au nanosphere. And the corresponding gain threshold of the plasmonic coupled nanolaser is only 35% of that of the nanolaser with the independent Au nanosphere. This is attributed to that the coupled nanostructure exhibits a stronger electric field and optical intensity than the independent Au nanosphere, it can more effectively improve gain to compensate for metal loss. In addition, the plasmonic coupled nanolaser also exhibits a wavelength tunability in a wide spectral range by controlling the Au nanosphere diameter and gap distance between Au nanoparticle and Au film. This work can provide us an effective way to develop the on-chip application of nanolaser. • A plasmonic coupled nanolaser based on a coupling between LSP and SPP is designed. • The optical cross section is 60 times larger than that based on Au nanosphere. • The gain threshold is only 35% of that of nanolaser with independent Au nanosphere. • Coupled nanostructure exhibits a stronger electric field than Au nanosphere. • SPASER wavelength can be tuned by varying Au nanosphere diameter and gap distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modulation bandwidth and energy efficiency of metallic cavity nanolasers are studied in both small signal and digital modulation formats. Special emphasis is placed on the effects of noise on data rate and energy efficiency. It is found that the data rate for nanolasers of small sizes is severely limited by noise-induced bit-error rate. The trade-off between size-reduction and noise effects leads to an optimal cavity size to achieve the highest data rate. The energy data-rate ratio decreases in general with device size, but starts to increase in ultrasmall devices, due to increased threshold current and noise effects. However, relatively high modulation rate and energy efficiency can be achieved in metallic cavity nanolasers. Calculations show that a low energy consumption of 30 fJ/bit at a high data rate of 120 Gbit/s can be realized in nanolasers as small as V = 16 ( λ/ nr)3 ( V is the laser cavity volume). Ultralow energy consumption per bit (<10 fJ/bit) does require smaller devices ( V<2.1 ( λ/ nr)3), while the noise limits the data rate to below 50 Gbit/s. Such a balanced and holistic consideration between device size, data rate, noise effects, and energy efficiency offers new perspectives to nanolaser design strategy for future onchip integrated nanophotonics systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a simple analytical expression for the full relaxation rate of the excited state of the two-level resonant emitter placed close to a metal nanoparticle with localized plasmon resonance excited by the emitter. We take into account the interaction of the emitter with all multipole polarization modes and the radiation absorption in the nanoparticle. Analytical and numerical estimations of the full relaxation rate are in good agreement. Thus, only two modes are sufficient for describing the electromagnetic interaction of the dipole emitter and the metal nanoparticle, namely, the dipole mode and the mode related to the emitter image under the nanoparticle surface. Such 'two-mode' approximation can simplify the analysis of optical properties of nanoplasmonic structures. In particular, the proposed expression for the full relaxation rate is helpful in the modeling of plasmonic nanolasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of a plasmonic nanolaser using semiconductor gain to compensate the metal loss was investigated theoretically in multilayer planar structure geometry. The propagation constant of surface plasmon (SP) mode, Purcell factor, and modal gain were calculated via transfer matrix method. Near SP resonance, the Purcell factor shows sensitive frequency dependence and exponential decay with distance. The huge Purcell factor leads to an impractical current density about several hundreds kiloampere/square centimeter (kA/cm). When the spectra peak of optical gain in a semiconductor is shifted about 0.7 eV below SP resonance, the moderate Purcell factor shows a rather broadband enhancement. Net modal gain was achieved at an injected current density of 12.1 kA/cm, comparable to that of conventional photonic laser diodes. The structure is further optimized by inserting a (low permittivity) dielectric spacer between the semiconductor active region and metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new nanolaser concept using silicon quantum dots (QDs) is proposed. The conduction band opened by the quantum confinement effect gives the pumping levels. Localized states in the gap due to some surface bonds on Si QDs can be formed for the activation of emission. An inversion of population can be generated between the localized states and the valence band in a QD fabricated by using a nanosecond pulse laser. Coupling between the active centres formed by localized states and the defect states of the two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal can be used to select the model in the nanolaser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-capped microdisk cavity supporting surface plasmon polaritons (SPP)-guided whispering gallery mode (WGM) can achieve higher cavity factor Q than traditional microdisk cavity in sub-wavelength dimensions. We have numerically analyzed the limiting factors on Q using finite difference time domain method. The Q of SPP-guided WGM is primarily limited by the loss of metal. A thin metal-sandwiched microdisk cavity supporting long-range surface plasmon polariton mode was proposed to reduce the metal loss. The proposed cavities have been shown to increase cavity Q by more than 15-fold and reduce threshold gain by more than threefold as opposed to traditional microdisk cavities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a fundamental formulation of plasmonic nanolasers from Fermi's Golden rule, taking into account the in- homogeneity and dispersion of the cavity media. We demonstrate that the electromagnetic energy confinement factor and the corresponding effective volume lead to a more consistent formulation for the rate equations of nanolasers. We also use a Fabry-Perot nanolaser based on the plasmonic slab waveguide as an example and compare the energy confinement factor with other counter- parts. In particular, we show that the power confinement factor is inappropriate for plasmonic cavity modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Semiconducting zinc oxide nanowires (NWs) and nanobelts (NBs) are a unique group of quasi-one-dimensional nanomaterial. This review mainly focuses on the rational synthesis, structure analysis, novel properties and unique applications of zinc oxide NWs and NBs in nanotechnology. First, we will discuss rational design of synthetic strategies and the synthesis of NWs via vapor phase and chemical growth approaches. Secondly, the vapor–solid process for synthesis of oxide based nanostructures will be described in details. We will illustrate the polar surface dominated growth phenomena, such as the formation of nanosprings, nanorings and nanohelices of single-crystal zinc oxide. Third, we will describe the unique and novel electrical, optoelectronic, field emission, and mechanical properties of individual NWs and NBs. Finally, we will illustrate some novel devices and applications made using NWs as ultra-sensitive chemical and biological nanosensors, solar cell, light emitting diodes, nanogenerators, and nano-piezotronic devices. ZnO is ideal for nanogenerators for converting nano-scale mechanical energy into electricity owing to its coupled piezoelectric and semiconductive properties. The devices designed based on this coupled characteristic are the family of piezotronics, which is a new and unique group of electronic components that are controlled by external forces/pressure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We discuss the energy spectrum of electron–hole pairs in a quasi-zero-dimensional system consisting of spherical semiconductor nanocrystals placed in transparent dielectric matrices. We study theoretically the prospect of using hole transitions between equidistant series of quantum levels observed in nanocrystals for designing an optical nanolaser. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Photonic crystal cavities enable strong light–matter interactions, with numerous applications, such as ultra-small and energy-efficient semiconductor lasers, enhanced nonlinearities and single-photon sources. This paper reviews the properties of the modes of photonic crystal cavities, with a special focus on line-defect cavities. In particular, it is shown how the fundamental resonant mode in line-defect cavities gradually turns from Fabry–Perot-like to distributed-feedback-like with increasing cavity size. This peculiar behavior is directly traced back to the properties of the guided Bloch modes. Photonic crystal cavities based on Fano interference are also covered. This type of cavity is realized through coupling of a line-defect waveguide with an adjacent nanocavity, with applications to Fano lasers and optical switches. Finally, emerging cavities for extreme dielectric confinement are covered. These cavities promise extremely strong light–matter interactions by realizing deep sub-wavelength mode size while keeping a high quality factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high Q-factor of the nanocavity can effectively reduce the threshold of nanolasers. In this paper, a modified nanostructure composed of a silver grating on a low-index dielectric layer (LID) and a high-index dielectric layer (HID) was proposed to realize a nanolaser with a lower lasing threshold. The nanostructure supports a hybrid plasmonic waveguide mode with a very-narrow line-width that can be reduced to about 1.79 nm by adjusting the thickness of the LID/HID layer or the duty ratio of grating, and the Q-factor can reach up to about 348. We theoretically demonstrated the lasing behavior of the modified nanostructures using the model of the combination of the classical electrodynamics and the four-level two-electron model of the gain material. The results demonstrated that the nanolaser based on the hybrid plasmonic waveguide mode can really reduce the lasing threshold to 0.042 mJ/cm2, which is about three times lower than the nanolaser based on the surface plasmon. The lasing action can be modulated by the thickness of the LID layer, the thickness of the HID layer and the duty cycle of grating. Our findings could provide a useful guideline to design low-threshold and highly-efficient miniaturized lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPW) principle as a basis, a new planar symmetric Ag-dielectric-SiO2 hybrid waveguide structure is designed and applied to nanolasers. First, the effects on the electric field distribution and the characteristic parameters of the waveguide structure of changes in the material, the nanometer radius, and the dielectric layer thickness were studied in detail using the finite element method with COMSOL Multiphysics software. The effects of two different dielectric materials on the HPW were studied. It was found that the waveguide performance could be improved effectively and the mode propagation loss was reduced when graphene was used as the dielectric, with the minimum effective propagation loss reaching 0.025. Second, the gain threshold and the quality factor of a nanolaser based on the proposed hybrid waveguide structure were analyzed. The results showed that the nanolaser has a lasing threshold of 1.76 μm−1 and a quality factor of 109 when using the graphene dielectric. A low-loss, low-threshold laser was realized, and the mode field was constrained by deep sub-wavelength light confinement. This structure has broad future application prospects in the integrated optics field and provides ideas for the development of subminiature photonic devices and high-density integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmonic nanoresonators consisting of a gold nanorod and a spherical silica core and gold shell, both coated with a gain layer, were optimized to maximize the stimulated emission in the near-field (NF-c-type) and the outcoupling into the far-field (FF-c-type) and to enter into the spasing operation region (NF-c*-type). It was shown that in the case of a moderate dye concentration, the nanorod has more advantages: smaller lasing threshold and larger slope efficiency and larger achieved intensities in the near-field in addition to FF-c-type systems' smaller gain and outflow threshold, earlier dip-to-peak switching in the spectrum and slightly larger far-field outcoupling efficiency. However, the near-field (far-field) bandwidth is smaller for NF-c-type (FF-c-type) core–shell nanoresonators. In the case of a larger dye concentration (NF-c*-type), although the slope efficiency and near-field intensity remain larger for the nanorod, the core–shell nanoresonator is more advantageous, considering the smaller lasing, outflow, absorption and extinction cross-section thresholds and near-field bandwidth as well as the significantly larger internal and external quantum efficiencies. It was also shown that the strong-coupling of time-competing plasmonic modes accompanies the transition from lasing to spasing occurring, when the extinction cross-section crosses zero. As a result of the most efficient enhancement in the forward direction, the most uniform far-field distribution was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reflectivity-enhanced hybrid plasmonic GaAs/AlGaAs core-shell nanowire laser is proposed and studied by 3D finite-difference time-domain simulations. The results demonstrate that by introducing thin metal mirrors at both ends, the end facet reflectivity of nanowire is increased by 30–140%, resulting in a much stronger optical feedback. Due to the enhanced interaction between the surface charge oscillation and light, the electric field intensity inside the dielectric gap layer increases, resulting in a much lower threshold gain. For a small diameter in the range of 100–150 nm, the threshold gain is significantly reduced to 60–80% that of nanowire without mirrors. Moreover, as the mode energy is mainly concentrated in the gap between the nanowire and metal substrate, the output power maintains >60% that of nanowire without mirrors in the diameter range of 100–150 nm. The low-threshold miniaturized plasmonic nanowire laser with simple processing technology is promising for low-consumption ultra-compact optoelectronic integrated circuits and on-chip communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO nanowire-based surface plasmon polariton (SPP) nanolasers with metal–insulator–semiconductor hierarchical nanostructures have emerged as potential candidates for integrated photonic applications. In the present study, we demonstrated an SPP nanolaser consisting of ZnO nanowires coupled with a single-crystalline aluminum (Al) film and a WO3 dielectric interlayer. High-quality ZnO nanowires were prepared using a vapor phase transport and condensation deposition process via catalyzed growth. Subsequently, prepared ZnO nanowires were transferred onto a single-crystalline Al film grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Meanwhile, a WO3 dielectric interlayer was deposited between the ZnO nanowires and Al film, via e-beam technique, to prevent the optical loss from dominating the metallic region. The metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structured SPP laser, with an optimal WO3 insulating layer thickness of 3.6 nm, demonstrated an ultra-low threshold laser operation (lasing threshold of 0.79 MW cm−2). This threshold value was nearly eight times lower than that previously reported in similar ZnO/Al2O3/Al plasmonic lasers, which were ≈2.4 and ≈3 times suppressed compared to the SPP laser, with WO3 insulating layer thicknesses of 5 nm and 8 nm, respectively. Such suppression of the lasing threshold is attributed to the WO3 insulating layer, which mediated the strong confinement of the optical field in the subwavelength regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposed a miniaturized nanowire laser with high end-facet reflection. The high end-facet reflection was realized by integrating an Ag grating between the nanowire and the substrate. Its propagation and reflection properties were calculated using the finite elements method. The simulation results show that the reflectivity can be as high as 77.6% for a nanowire diameter of 200 nm and a period of 20, which is nearly three times larger than that of the nanowire without a metal grating reflector. For an equal length of nanowire with/without the metal grating reflector, the corresponding threshold gain is approximately a quarter of that of the nanowire without the metal grating reflector. Owing to the high reflection, the length of the nanowire can be reduced to 0.9 μm for the period of 5, resulting in a genuine nanolaser, composed of nanowire, with three dimensions smaller than 1 μm (the diameter is 200 nm). The proposed nanowire laser with a lowered threshold and reduced dimensions would be of great significance in on-chip information systems and networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]