Lasing oscillation in a three-dimensional photonic crystal nanocavity with a complete bandgap

Abstract

Photonic crystals1,2 have been extensively used in the control and manipulation of photons in engineered electromagnetic environments provided by means of photonic bandgap effects. These effects are key to realizing future optoelectronic devices, including highly efficient lasers. To date, lasers based on photonic crystal cavities have been exclusively demonstrated in two-dimensional photonic crystal geometries3,4,5,6. However, full confinement of photons and control of their interaction with materials can only be achieved with the use of three-dimensional photonic crystals with complete photonic bandgaps7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16. We demonstrate, for the first time, the realization of lasing oscillation in a three-dimensional photonic crystal nanocavity. The laser is constructed by coupling a cavity mode exhibiting the highest quality factor yet achieved (∼38,500) with quantum dots. This achievement provides means for exploring the physics of light–matter interactions in a nanocavity–single quantum dot coupling system in which both photons and electrons are confined in three dimensions, as well as for realizing three-dimensional integrated photonic circuits. Researchers demonstrate the first laser confined in all three spatial dimensions by a three-dimensional photonic crystal. The device, in this case driven by quantum dots, represents the long-standing goal of achieving lasing in a cavity formed entirely by a complete-photonic-bandgap medium.