Gain and lasing from CdSe/CdS nanoplatelet stripe waveguides

Abstract

Colloidal semiconducting nanocrystals are efficient, stable and spectrally tunable emitters, but achievable optical gain is often limited by fast nonradiative processes. These processes are strongly suppressed in slab-shaped nanocrystals (nanoplatelets), due to relaxed exciton Coulomb interaction. Here, we show that CdSe/CdS nanoplatelets can be engineered into (sub)microscopic stripe waveguides that achieve lasing without further components for feedback, i.e., just relying on the stripe end reflection. We find a remarkably high gain factor for the CdSe/CdS nanoplatelets of 1630 cm −1 . In addition, by comparison with numerical simulations we assign a distinct emission peak broadening above laser threshold to emission pulse shortening. Our results illustrate the feasibility of geometrically simple monolithic microscale nanoplatelet lasers as an attractive option for a variety of photonic applications. • Colloidal nanoplatelets are engineered into simple monolithic stripe waveguides that show lasing. • We find a remarkably high gain of about 1630 cm −1 , as measured for the stripe waveguides. • The waveguide lasers show an emission peak broadening above laser threshold due to pulse shortening.