Whispering gallery mode lasing from zinc oxide hexagonal nanodisks.
Disk-shaped semiconductor nanostructures provide enhanced architectures for low-threshold whispering gallery mode (WGM) lasing with the potential for on-chip nanophotonic integration. Unlike cavities that lase via Fabry-Perot modes, WGM structures utilize low-loss, total internal reflection of the optical mode along the circumference of the structure, which effectively reduces the volume of gain material required for lasing. As a result, circularly resonant cavities provide much higher quality (Q) factors than lower reflection linear cavities, which makes nanodisks an ideal platform to investigate lasing nanostructures smaller than the free-space wavelength of light (i.e., subwavelength laser). Here we report the bottom-up synthesis and single-mode lasing properties of individual ZnO disks with diameters from 280 to 900 nm and show finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations of the whispering gallery mode inside subwavelength diameter disks. These results demonstrate ultraviolet WGM lasing in chemically synthesized, isolated nanostructures with subwavelength diameters.
Gargas
Daniel J
DJ
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Moore
Michael C
MC
Ni
Adrian
A
Chang
Shu-Wei
SW
Zhang
Zhaoyu
Z
Chuang
Shun-Lien
SL
Yang
Peidong
P
D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007834:Lasers; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D015034:Zinc Oxide