skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Ten years of spasers and plasmonic nanolasers

Journal Article · · Light, Science & Applications
 [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [1];  [5];  [6];  [7]
  1. Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States). Birck Nanotechnology Center. School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States). Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Inst.
  2. Peking Univ., Beijing (China). State Key Lab for Mesoscopic Physics. School of Physics; Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics & Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing (China)
  3. Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). International Center for NanoOptoelectronics. Dept. of Electronic Engineering; Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States). School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering
  4. Imperial College, London (United Kingdom). The Blackett Lab.
  5. Georgia State Univ., Atlanta, GA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. Center for Nano-Optics (CeNO)
  6. Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). International Center for NanoOptoelectronics. Dept. of Electronic Engineering
  7. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center; Hong Kong Univ. (Hong Kong). Faculties of Sciences and Engineering

Ten years ago, three teams experimentally demonstrated the first spasers, or plasmonic nanolasers, after the spaser concept was first proposed theoretically in 2003. An overview of the significant progress achieved over the last 10 years is presented here, together with the original context of and motivations for this research. After a general introduction, we first summarize the fundamental properties of spasers and discuss the major motivations that led to the first demonstrations of spasers and nanolasers. This is followed by an overview of crucial technological progress, including lasing threshold reduction, dynamic modulation, room-temperature operation, electrical injection, the control and improvement of spasers, the array operation of spasers, and selected applications of single-particle spasers. Research prospects are presented in relation to several directions of development, including further miniaturization, the relationship with Bose–Einstein condensation, novel spaser-based interconnects, and other features of spasers and plasmonic lasers that have yet to be realized or challenges that are still to be overcome.

Research Organization:
Georgia State Univ., Atlanta, GA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-01ER15213; SC0007043
OSTI ID:
1800011
Journal Information:
Light, Science & Applications, Vol. 9, Issue 1; ISSN 2047-7538
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (182)

Emission properties of nanolasers during the transition to lasing journal August 2014
Plasmonic Nanolaser Using Epitaxially Grown Silver Film journal July 2012
Record performance of electrical injection sub-wavelength metallic-cavity semiconductor lasers at room temperature journal January 2013
Efficient waveguide-coupling of metal-clad nanolaser cavities journal January 2011
All-Color Plasmonic Nanolasers with Ultralow Thresholds: Autotuning Mechanism for Single-Mode Lasing journal July 2014
Rabi Splitting in a Plasmonic Nanocavity Coupled to a WS 2 Monolayer at Room Temperature journal September 2018
Fabrication and room temperature operation of semiconductor nano-ring lasers using a general applicable membrane transfer method journal April 2017
High-order temporal coherences of
chaotic and laser light journal January 2010
Unusual scaling laws for plasmonic nanolasers beyond the diffraction limit journal December 2017
A high-performance topological bulk laser based on band-inversion-induced reflection journal December 2019
Excitonic complexes and optical gain in two-dimensional molybdenum ditelluride well below the Mott transition journal March 2020
Peculiar features of confinement factors in a metal-semiconductor waveguide journal May 2010
All-semiconductor active plasmonic system in mid-infrared wavelengths journal January 2011
Spaser quenching by off-resonant plasmon modes journal August 2017
Modeling of threshold and dynamics behavior of organic nanostructured lasers journal January 2014
Revealing the missing dimension at an exceptional point journal March 2020
Power Balance and Temperature in Optically Pumped Spasers and Nanolasers journal August 2018
Manipulating Coherent Plasmon–Exciton Interaction in a Single Silver Nanorod on Monolayer WSe 2 journal May 2017
Nonlinear interactions in an organic polariton condensate journal February 2014
Advances in small lasers journal November 2014
Plasmonic distributed feedback lasers at telecommunications wavelengths journal January 2011
Room-temperature subwavelength metallo-dielectric lasers journal April 2010
Theory of high-speed nanolasers and nanoLEDs journal January 2012
Wavelength-Tunable Spasing in the Visible journal August 2013
Subwavelength Nanopatch Cavities for Semiconductor Plasmon Lasers journal May 2008
Highly directional spaser array for the red wavelength region: Highly directional spaser array in the visible journal June 2014
Bose–Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons journal September 2006
Stimulated Optical Radiation in Ruby journal August 1960
Single-nanowire electrically driven lasers journal January 2003
Lasing under ultralow pumping journal October 2019
Low-Threshold Plasmonic Lasers on a Single-Crystalline Epitaxial Silver Platform at Telecom Wavelength journal May 2017
Interplay of various loss mechanisms and ultimate size limit of a surface plasmon polariton semiconductor nanolaser journal January 2012
Thresholdless nanoscale coaxial lasers journal February 2012
Modulation response of nanoLEDs and nanolasers exploiting Purcell enhanced spontaneous emission journal January 2010
Quantum-optical influences in optoelectronics—An introduction journal December 2018
Gain assisted propagation of surface plasmon polaritons on planar metallic waveguides journal January 2004
Surface Plasmon Lasing Observed in Metal Hole Arrays journal May 2013
Deep-Ultraviolet Hyperbolic Metacavity Laser journal April 2018
Plasmon slot waveguides: Towards chip-scale propagation with subwavelength-scale localization journal January 2006
Principles of Nano-Optics book January 2012
Room-Temperature Ultraviolet Nanowire Nanolasers journal June 2001
Plasmonic Bowtie Nanolaser Arrays journal October 2012
The spaser as a nanoscale quantum generator and ultrafast amplifier journal January 2010
Room-temperature continuous wave lasing in deep-subwavelength metallic cavities under electrical injection journal January 2012
Explosives detection in a lasing plasmon nanocavity journal July 2014
Surface-plasmon mode hybridization in subwavelength microdisk lasers journal November 2009
Driven-dissipative non-equilibrium Bose–Einstein condensation of less than ten photons journal September 2018
Ultralow-threshold, continuous-wave upconverting lasing from subwavelength plasmons journal September 2019
Nanoplasmonic sensing and detection journal April 2015
On the history of the invention of the injection laser journal October 2004
Exactly solvable toy model for surface plasmon amplification by stimulated emission of radiation journal January 2013
Metal-cavity surface-emitting microlaser at room temperature journal June 2010
High-Operation-Temperature Plasmonic Nanolasers on Single-Crystalline Aluminum journal April 2016
Loss-free and active optical negative-index metamaterials journal August 2010
A hybrid plasmonic waveguide for subwavelength confinement and long-range propagation journal July 2008
High Performance Plasmonic Nanolasers with External Quantum Efficiency Exceeding 10% journal November 2018
Modulation response of nanolasers: what rate equation approaches miss journal January 2016
Two-dimensionally localized modes of a nanoscale gap plasmon waveguide journal December 2005
Metal-Clad Optical Waveguides: Analytical and Experimental Study journal January 1974
Monolayer excitonic laser journal October 2015
Room-temperature sub-diffraction-limited plasmon laser by total internal reflection journal December 2010
Design of a surface-emitting, subwavelength metal-clad disk laser in the visible spectrum journal January 2010
Analysis of semiconductor microcavity lasers using rate equations journal January 1991
Ultrafast active plasmonics journal December 2008
Thermalization of a two-dimensional photonic gas in a ‘white wall’ photon box journal May 2010
Gain-assisted propagation of electromagnetic energy in subwavelength surface plasmon polariton gap waveguides journal February 2006
Room-temperature continuous-wave lasing from monolayer molybdenum ditelluride integrated with a silicon nanobeam cavity journal July 2017
Bose–Einstein condensation in a plasmonic lattice journal April 2018
Spasers explained journal June 2008
Electric Spaser in the Extreme Quantum Limit journal March 2013
Highly Reproducible Near-Field Optical Imaging with Sub-20-nm Resolution Based on Template-Stripped Gold Pyramids journal September 2012
Optical antenna enhanced spontaneous emission journal January 2015
Lasing spaser journal May 2008
Band-edge engineering for controlled multi-modal nanolasing in plasmonic superlattices journal July 2017
Real-time tunable lasing from plasmonic nanocavity arrays journal April 2015
Semiconductor nanowire lasers journal May 2016
Localization versus Delocalization of Surface Plasmons in Nanosystems: Can One State Have Both Characteristics? journal September 2001
Comparative analysis of spasers, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and surface-plasmon-emitting diodes journal May 2014
Modal gain in a semiconductor nanowire laser with anisotropic bandstructure journal October 2004
Geometries and materials for subwavelength surface plasmon modes journal January 2004
Imaging the dark emission of spasers journal April 2017
Lasing in Ni Nanodisk Arrays journal April 2019
Semiconductor nanolasers and the size-energy-efficiency challenge: a review journal January 2019
Lasing Enhanced Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensing journal March 2017
Hybrid Photon-Plasmon Nanowire Lasers journal October 2013
Coherent Amplification and Noise in Gain-Enhanced Nanoplasmonic Metamaterials: A Maxwell-Bloch Langevin Approach journal February 2012
Photon Statistics of Semiconductor Microcavity Lasers journal January 2007
Plasmonic Lasing of Nanocavity Embedding in Metallic Nanoantenna Array journal January 2015
Subwavelength metal-optic semiconductor nanopatch lasers journal January 2010
Monolayer semiconductor nanocavity lasers with ultralow thresholds journal March 2015
What is Laser Threshold? journal July 2013
FDTD analysis of wave propagation in nonlinear absorbing and gain media journal March 1998
Applications of nanolasers journal December 2018
Modulation bandwidth and energy efficiency of metallic cavity semiconductor nanolasers with inclusion of noise effects: Modulation bandwidth and energy efficiency of metallic cavity semiconductor nanolasers journal July 2015
Electrical Injection in Longitudinal and Coaxial Heterostructure Nanowires: A Comparative Study through a Three-Dimensional Simulation journal December 2008
Cooperative effects in spherical spasers: Ab initio analytical model journal June 2017
Attosecond metrology: from electron capture to future signal processing journal February 2014
Ultrafast photonic crystal nanocavity laser journal July 2006
Spontaneous emission rate alteration in optical waveguide structures journal January 1990
Resonance Absorption by Nuclear Magnetic Moments in a Solid journal January 1946
Spasers with retardation and gain saturation: electrodynamic description of fields and optical cross-sections journal January 2015
Near-infrared semiconductor subwavelength-wire lasers journal April 2006
Semiconductor nanolasers: Semiconductor nanolasers journal March 2010
Topological Spaser journal January 2020
Enhanced modulation bandwidth of nanocavity light emitting devices journal January 2009
Toroidal Lasing Spaser journal February 2013
On the Effect of Dipole–Dipole Interactions on the Quantum Statistics of Surface Plasmons in Multiparticle Spaser Systems journal April 2018
Subwavelength Plasmonic Lasing from a Semiconductor Nanodisk with Silver Nanopan Cavity journal September 2010
Semiconductor plasmonic nanolasers: current status and perspectives journal July 2016
Enhancement of surface plasmons in an Ag aggregate by optical gain in a dielectric medium journal January 2006
Formation of Lead Halide Perovskite Based Plasmonic Nanolasers and Nanolaser Arrays by Tailoring the Substrate journal March 2018
High-Yield Plasmonic Nanolasers with Superior Stability for Sensing in Aqueous Solution journal June 2017
Phase-space views into dye-microcavity thermalized and condensed photons journal December 2016
Bose-Einstein condensation of photons from the thermodynamic limit to small photon numbers journal November 2017
The potential of optofluidic biolasers journal January 2014
Unidirectional Spaser in Symmetry-Broken Plasmonic Core-Shell Nanocavity journal February 2013
Lasing in metal-insulator-metal sub-wavelength plasmonic waveguides journal January 2009
The Connection Between Spin and Statistics journal October 1940
Microscopy and its focal switch journal December 2008
Surface Plasmon Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation: Quantum Generation of Coherent Surface Plasmons in Nanosystems journal January 2003
Lasing action in strongly coupled plasmonic nanocavity arrays journal June 2013
Infrared and Optical Masers journal December 1958
A room temperature low-threshold ultraviolet plasmonic nanolaser journal September 2014
Quantum fluids of light journal February 2013
Size reduction of a semiconductor nanowire laser by using metal coating conference February 2007
Coherent Light Emission From GaAs Junctions journal November 1962
Plasmon lasers at deep subwavelength scale journal August 2009
Controlling spontaneous emission and threshold-less laser oscillation with optical microcavities journal January 1992
Near-Field Optical Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Pointed Probes journal May 2006
Electrical injection, continuous wave operation of subwavelength-metallic-cavity lasers at 260 K journal June 2011
Coulomb and quenching effects in small nanoparticle-based spasers journal April 2016
Fabrication challenges of electrical injection metallic cavity semiconductor nanolasers journal November 2013
Spaser Nanoparticles for Ultranarrow Bandwidth STED Super‐Resolution Imaging journal January 2020
An electrical injection metallic cavity nanolaser with azimuthal polarization journal January 2013
Two-Dimensional Photonic Band-Gap Defect Mode Laser journal June 1999
Parity–Time Symmetry Synthetic Lasers: Physics and Devices journal August 2019
Giant modal gain, amplified surface plasmon-polariton propagation, and slowing down of energy velocity in a metal-semiconductor-metal structure journal October 2009
Single-mode surface plasmon distributed feedback lasers journal January 2018
Finite-difference time-domain model of lasing action in a four-level two-electron atomic system journal January 2004
Lasing Action with Gold Nanorod Hyperbolic Metamaterials journal February 2017
Simulations of nanometric optical circuits based on surface plasmon polariton gap waveguide journal February 2003
Far-field emission of a semiconductor nanowire laser journal January 2004
Modulation bandwidth of metal-clad semiconductor nanolasers with cavity-enhanced spontaneous emission journal January 2010
Plasmonic crystal defect nanolaser journal January 2011
Design of low-threshold compact Au-nanoparticle lasers journal January 2010
Local detection of electromagnetic energy transport below the diffraction limit in metal nanoparticle plasmon waveguides journal March 2003
Surface plasmon polariton laser based on a metallic trench Fabry-Perot resonator journal October 2017
Electrically pumped sub-wavelength metallo-dielectric pedestal pillar lasers journal January 2011
Metallic subwavelength-cavity semiconductor nanolasers journal July 2012
Population inversion and giant bandgap renormalization in atomically thin WS2 layers journal June 2015
The birth of attosecond physics and its coming of age journal May 2016
Breaking the diffraction resolution limit by stimulated emission: stimulated-emission-depletion fluorescence microscopy journal January 1994
High-Performance Plasmonic Nanolasers with a Nanotrench Defect Cavity for Sensing Applications journal December 2017
Surface-Emitting Surface Plasmon Polariton Laser in a Second-Order Distributed Feedback Defect Cavity journal February 2019
Multiplexed and Electrically Modulated Plasmon Laser Circuit journal September 2012
Propagation properties of guided waves in index-guided two-dimensional optical waveguides journal May 2005
Waveguide-coupled nanopillar metal-cavity light-emitting diodes on silicon journal February 2017
Model for describing plasmonic nanolasers using Maxwell-Liouville equations with finite-difference time-domain calculations journal November 2017
Spatiotemporal coherence of non-equilibrium multimode photon condensates journal October 2016
Single-molecule strong coupling at room temperature in plasmonic nanocavities journal June 2016
Three-level spaser for next-generation luminescent nanoprobe journal August 2018
Ultrafast plasmonic nanowire lasers near the surface plasmon frequency journal September 2014
Fringing field effects on electrical resistivity of semiconductor nanowire-metal contacts journal February 2008
Energy equipartition and unidirectional emission in a spaser nanolaser: Energy equipartition and unidirectional emission in a spaser nanolaser journal March 2016
Lasing in metallic-coated nanocavities journal September 2007
Bose–Einstein condensation of photons in an optical microcavity journal November 2010
Demonstration of a spaser-based nanolaser journal August 2009
All-Inorganic CsPbBr 3 Nanowire Based Plasmonic Lasers journal September 2018
Exploring Time-Resolved Multiphysics of Active Plasmonic Systems with Experiment-Based Gain Models journal October 2018
Nanolasers: Second-order intensity correlation, direct modulation and electromagnetic isolation in array architectures journal May 2018
Metasurface-integrated vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers for programmable directional lasing emissions journal January 2020
A customizable class of colloidal-quantum-dot spasers and plasmonic amplifiers journal September 2017
Giant photoluminescence enhancement in tungsten-diselenide–gold plasmonic hybrid structures journal May 2016
Spaser as a biological probe journal June 2017
Lasing in quasi-periodic and aperiodic plasmon lattices journal January 2016
Optical Properties and Light-Emission Device Applications of 2-D Layered Semiconductors journal May 2020
Stretchable Nanolasing from Hybrid Quadrupole Plasmons journal June 2018
Room-temperature Bose–Einstein condensation of cavity exciton–polaritons in a polymer journal December 2013
Low-Threshold near-Infrared GaAs–AlGaAs Core–Shell Nanowire Plasmon Laser journal December 2014
Fano Resonance and Spectrally Modified Photoluminescence Enhancement in Monolayer MoS 2 Integrated with Plasmonic Nanoantenna Array journal April 2015
Artificial-intelligence-assisted photonics (Conference Presentation) conference September 2019
APPLIED PHYSICS: Seeking the Ultimate Nanolaser journal October 2006

Cited By (12)

Integrated Nanophotonic Waveguide-Based Devices for IR and Raman Gas Spectroscopy journal October 2021
Free electrons excited SPASER journal January 2018
Generation of Slow Surface Plasmon Polaritons in a Complex Waveguide Structure with Electric Current Pump journal October 2018
Advances in small lasers journal November 2014
Lasing threshold of the bound states in the continuum in the plasmonic lattices journal January 2018
Doped silicon quantum dots as sources of coherent surface plasmons journal November 2018
Microcavity electrodynamics of hybrid surface plasmon polariton modes in high-quality multilayer trench gratings journal June 2018
Surface plasmon polariton amplification in a single-walled carbon nanotube journal January 2017
Theory and technology of SPASERs journal January 2017
Purcell effect for finite-length metal-coated and metal nanowires journal January 2014
Three-level spaser for next-generation luminescent nanoprobe journal August 2018
Semiconductor plasmonic nanolasers: current status and perspectives journal July 2016

Similar Records

Spasers to speed up CMOS processors
Patent · Tue Oct 09 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · OSTI ID:1800011

Topological Spaser
Journal Article · Mon Jan 06 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Physical Review Letters · OSTI ID:1800011

Method for surface plasmon amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (SPASER)
Patent · Tue Sep 13 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · OSTI ID:1800011