Gain modulation by graphene plasmons in aperiodic lattice lasers
Tunable lasers
Lasers emit coherent light at wavelengths that are well defined. These wavelengths are usually fixed once the device has been fabricated. Now, Chakraborty et al. have combined an atomically thin graphene sheet with terahertz quantum cascade lasers to realize a terahertz laser that can be tuned via the carrier doping level of the graphene layer (see the Perspective by Polini). The demonstration opens up the possibility of reversible control over the laser emission through the integration of graphene waveguides.
Abstract
Two-dimensional graphene plasmon-based technologies will enable the development of fast, compact, and inexpensive active photonic elements because, unlike plasmons in other materials, graphene plasmons can be tuned via the doping level. Such tuning is harnessed within terahertz quantum cascade lasers to reversibly alter their emission. This is achieved in two key steps: first, by exciting graphene plasmons within an aperiodic lattice laser and, second, by engineering photon lifetimes, linking graphene’s Fermi energy with the round-trip gain. Modal gain and hence laser spectra are highly sensitive to the doping of an integrated, electrically controllable, graphene layer. Demonstration of the integrated graphene plasmon laser principle lays the foundation for a new generation of active, programmable plasmonic metamaterials with major implications across photonics, material sciences, and nanotechnology.
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Supplementary Material
Summary
Materials and Methods
Figs. S1 to S6
Resources
File (chakraborty.sm.pdf)
References and Notes
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Published In
Science
Volume 351 | Issue 6270
15 January 2016
15 January 2016
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Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Received: 7 September 2015
Accepted: 6 November 2015
Published in print: 15 January 2016
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