Scientists Design Nanometer-Scale Laser

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Harvard University are designing advanced nanometer-scale lasers. Yinan Zhang is one of the scientists working in this project. The naanobeam laser is developed with traditional nanofabrication technologies.

According to Zhang, researchers in Georgia grew the quantum wells, which have the required electronic properties to enable photon production. Then the research team at the Harvard University utilized the plasma reactive ion etching and the electron-beam lithography to generate a pattern on the chip’s structure. After this, the structure was allowed to be suspended by using chemical acid. The resultant structure was a 500 nm beam with a range of perforated holes. The structure offers remarkable properties of optical nano-cavities. Zhang informed that after the fabrication process, the devices were characterized on the optical set up.  This technique could offer an affordable on-chip light source solution for photonic-integrated circuits. The devices could prove useful in chemical or bio-sensing applications.