Nanowire lasers

Built by molecular beam epitaxy, nanowire lasers offer the possibility for direct integration on silicon, and the construction of optical interconnects and data communication at the chip scale.

Their unique 1D configuration and high refractive index allow for low optical loss and recirculation in the active nanowire core region.

[1] Nanowire lasers can be grown site-selectively on Si/SOI wafers with conventional MBE techniques, allowing for pristine structural quality without defects.

Nanowire lasers using the group-III nitride and ZnO materials systems have been demonstrated to emit in the visible and ultraviolet, however infrared at the 1.3–1.55 μm is important for telecommunication bands.

[2] Nanowire lasers have shown pulse durations down to <1ps,[4] and enable repetition rates greater than 200 GHz.