Room-Temperature Ultraviolet Nanowire Nanolasers

TLDR

The authors synthesized self‑organized <0001>‑oriented ZnO nanowires on sapphire by a simple vapor‑transport condensation process, producing natural laser cavities with diameters of 20–150 nm and lengths up to 10 µm. Room‑temperature ultraviolet lasing was achieved at 385 nm with a sub‑0.3 nm linewidth, and the chemically flexible, one‑dimensional nanowires offer compact laser sources for optical computing, information storage, and microanalysis.

Abstract

Room-temperature ultraviolet lasing in semiconductor nanowire arrays has been demonstrated. The self-organized, &lt;0001&gt; oriented zinc oxide nanowires grown on sapphire substrates were synthesized with a simple vapor transport and condensation process. These wide band-gap semiconductor nanowires form natural laser cavities with diameters varying from 20 to 150 nanometers and lengths up to 10 micrometers. Under optical excitation, surface-emitting lasing action was observed at 385 nanometers, with an emission linewidth less than 0.3 nanometer. The chemical flexibility and the one-dimensionality of the nanowires make them ideal miniaturized laser light sources. These short-wavelength nanolasers could have myriad applications, including optical computing, information storage, and microanalysis.