DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Electrically driven deep ultraviolet MgZnO lasers at room temperature

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering; University of California, Riverside
  2. Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  3. Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Sun Yat-Sen Univ., Guangzhou, (China). School of Physics and Engineering

Semiconductor lasers in the deep ultraviolet (UV) range have numerous potential applications ranging from water purification and medical diagnosis to high-density data storage and flexible displays. Nevertheless, very little success was achieved in the realization of electrically driven deep UV semiconductor lasers to date. Here, we report the fabrication and characterization of deep UV MgZnO semiconductor lasers. These lasers are operated with continuous current mode at room temperature and the shortest wavelength reaches 284 nm. The wide bandgap MgZnO thin films with various Mg mole fractions were grown on c-sapphire substrate using radio-frequency plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) random laser devices were fabricated using lithography and metallization processes. Besides the demonstration of scalable emission wavelength, very low threshold current densities of 29-33 A/cm2 are achieved. Furthermore, numerical modeling reveals that impact ionization process is responsible for the generation of hole carriers in the MgZnO MSM devices. The interaction of electrons and holes leads to radiative excitonic recombination and subsequent coherent random lasing.

Research Organization:
Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012670
OSTI ID:
1374978
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 7; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (109)

UV Random Lasing Action in p-SiC(4H)/i-ZnO–SiO2 Nanocomposite/n-ZnO:Al Heterojunction Diodes journal July 2006
Low-Threshold Electrically Pumped Random Lasers journal April 2010
ZnO p-n Homojunction Random Laser Diode Based on Nitrogen-Doped p-type Nanowires journal February 2013
Electron and Hole Transport in Bulk ZnO: A Full Band Monte Carlo Study journal June 2007
High efficiency GaN-based LEDs and lasers on SiC journal December 2004
Deep UV Laser-Induced Fluorescence Detection of Unlabeled Drugs and Proteins in Microchip Electrophoresis journal March 2005
Realization of Cu-Doped p-Type ZnO Thin Films by Molecular Beam Epitaxy journal April 2015
Electrically pumped waveguide lasing from ZnO nanowires journal July 2011
Ultralow-threshold electrically injected AlGaN nanowire ultraviolet lasers on Si operating at low temperature journal January 2015
A 342-nm ultraviolet AlGaN multiple-quantum-well laser diode journal July 2008
Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation is a molecular trigger for solar-simulated ultraviolet radiation-induced suppression of memory immunity in humans journal January 2005
Electrically pumped random lasers fabricated from ZnO nanowire arrays journal January 2012
Electrically pumped random lasing based on an Au–ZnO nanowire Schottky junction journal January 2015
MgxZn1−xO as a II–VI widegap semiconductor alloy journal May 1998
Ultraviolet lasing in resonators formed by scattering in semiconductor polycrystalline films journal December 1998
Band gap engineering based on MgxZn1−xO and CdyZn1−yO ternary alloy films journal February 2001
Ultraviolet AlGaN multiple-quantum-well laser diodes journal June 2003
Blueshift of near band edge emission in Mg doped ZnO thin films and aging journal May 2004
Zinc oxide thin-film random lasers on silicon substrate journal April 2004
Random laser action in ZnO nanorod arrays embedded in ZnO epilayers journal April 2004
Photodimerization in dipeptides for high capacity optical digital storage journal September 2004
Low-loss and directional output ZnO thin-film ridge waveguide random lasers with MgO capped layer journal January 2005
Excitonic ultraviolet lasing in ZnO-based light emitting devices journal March 2007
Ultraviolet and visible photoresponse properties of n‐ZnO∕p‐Si heterojunction journal April 2007
Ordered, uniform-sized ZnO nanolaser arrays journal October 2007
Electrically pumped ultraviolet ZnO diode lasers on Si journal November 2008
Theory of conduction in ZnO varistors journal April 1979
Electroluminescence in ZnO varistors: Evidence for hole contributions to the breakdown mechanism journal June 1985
Directional and controllable edge-emitting ZnO ultraviolet random laser diodes journal March 2010
Excitonic diffusion dynamics in ZnO journal February 2012
Ultraviolet random lasing from asymmetrically contacted MgZnO metal-semiconductor-metal device journal November 2014
An electrically injected AlGaN nanowire laser operating in the ultraviolet-C band journal July 2015
An electrically pumped 239 nm AlGaN nanowire laser operating at room temperature journal November 2016
An Sb-doped p-type ZnO nanowire based random laser diode journal January 2016
III-nitride based deep ultraviolet light sources conference March 2008
Diffuse optical tomography of breast cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A case study with comparison to MRI: DOT of breast cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy journal March 2005
Detection of nanoscale structural changes in bone using random lasers journal January 2010
Room temperature electrically pumped ultraviolet random lasing from ZnO nanorod arrays on Si journal January 2009
Random laser spectroscopy for nanoscale perturbation sensing journal January 2010
ZnO-Based Ultraviolet Photodetectors journal September 2010
Speckle-free laser imaging text January 2011
Ultraviolet laser-induced fluorescence of human stomach tissues: Detection of cancer tissues by imaging techniques journal January 1997
UV Random Lasing Action in p-SiC(4H)/i-ZnO–SiO2 Nanocomposite/n-ZnO:Al Heterojunction Diodes journal July 2006
Low-Threshold Electrically Pumped Random Lasers journal April 2010
ZnO p-n Homojunction Random Laser Diode Based on Nitrogen-Doped p-type Nanowires journal February 2013
Possibility of room-temperature multiferroism in Mg-doped ZnO journal March 2013
Electron and Hole Transport in Bulk ZnO: A Full Band Monte Carlo Study journal June 2007
Ultraviolet disinfection of wastewater: Effect of dose on subsequent photoreactivation journal April 1994
High efficiency GaN-based LEDs and lasers on SiC journal December 2004
Deep UV Laser-Induced Fluorescence Detection of Unlabeled Drugs and Proteins in Microchip Electrophoresis journal March 2005
Three-Dimensional Quantum Confinement of Charge Carriers in Self-Organized AlGaN Nanowires: A Viable Route to Electrically Injected Deep Ultraviolet Lasers journal November 2015
Realization of Cu-Doped p-Type ZnO Thin Films by Molecular Beam Epitaxy journal April 2015
p-GaN/n-ZnO Heterojunction Nanowires: Optoelectronic Properties and the Role of Interface Polarity journal April 2014
A temperature-tunable random laser journal December 2001
Electrically pumped waveguide lasing from ZnO nanowires journal July 2011
Ultralow-threshold electrically injected AlGaN nanowire ultraviolet lasers on Si operating at low temperature journal January 2015
A 342-nm ultraviolet AlGaN multiple-quantum-well laser diode journal July 2008
Speckle-free laser imaging using random laser illumination journal April 2012
The physics and applications of random lasers journal May 2008
Random lasing realized in n-ZnO/p-MgZnO core–shell nanowire heterostructures journal January 2015
Electrically pumped random lasing based on an Au–ZnO nanowire Schottky junction journal January 2015
Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation is a molecular trigger for solar-simulated ultraviolet radiation-induced suppression of memory immunity in humans journal January 2005
Low-threshold electrically pumped ultraviolet laser diode journal January 2011
Electrically pumped random lasers fabricated from ZnO nanowire arrays journal January 2012
The UV Waveband Dependencies in Mice Differ for the Suppression of Contact Hypersensitivity, Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity and Cis-Urocanic Acid Formation journal May 1999
Optically pumped lasing of ZnO at room temperature journal April 1997
MgxZn1−xO as a II–VI widegap semiconductor alloy journal May 1998
Ultraviolet lasing in resonators formed by scattering in semiconductor polycrystalline films journal December 1998
Band gap engineering based on MgxZn1−xO and CdyZn1−yO ternary alloy films journal February 2001
Characterization of homoepitaxial p -type ZnO grown by molecular beam epitaxy journal September 2002
Ultraviolet AlGaN multiple-quantum-well laser diodes journal June 2003
Blueshift of near band edge emission in Mg doped ZnO thin films and aging journal May 2004
Zinc oxide thin-film random lasers on silicon substrate journal April 2004
Random laser action in ZnO nanorod arrays embedded in ZnO epilayers journal April 2004
Random lasing in human tissues journal August 2004
Photodimerization in dipeptides for high capacity optical digital storage journal September 2004
Low-loss and directional output ZnO thin-film ridge waveguide random lasers with MgO capped layer journal January 2005
Stimulated emission and lasing of random-growth oriented ZnO nanowires journal March 2005
Synthesis and temperature-dependent near-band-edge emission of chain-like Mg-doped ZnO nanoparticles journal March 2006
Band-edge electroluminescence from N+-implanted bulk ZnO journal March 2006
Excitonic ultraviolet lasing in ZnO-based light emitting devices journal March 2007
Ultraviolet and visible photoresponse properties of n‐ZnO∕p‐Si heterojunction journal April 2007
Al/Ti contacts to Sb-doped p-type ZnO journal July 2007
Ordered, uniform-sized ZnO nanolaser arrays journal October 2007
Electrically pumped ultraviolet ZnO diode lasers on Si journal November 2008
Demonstration of an ultraviolet 336 nm AlGaN multiple-quantum-well laser diode journal December 2008
Theory of conduction in ZnO varistors journal April 1979
Electroluminescence in ZnO varistors: Evidence for hole contributions to the breakdown mechanism journal June 1985
Directional and controllable edge-emitting ZnO ultraviolet random laser diodes journal March 2010
Excitonic diffusion dynamics in ZnO journal February 2012
Distributed Bragg reflector assisted low-threshold ZnO nanowire random laser diode journal March 2014
Ultraviolet random lasing from asymmetrically contacted MgZnO metal-semiconductor-metal device journal November 2014
Hot-electron energy relaxation time in Ga-doped ZnO films journal February 2015
An electrically injected AlGaN nanowire laser operating in the ultraviolet-C band journal July 2015
An electrically pumped 239 nm AlGaN nanowire laser operating at room temperature journal November 2016
An Sb-doped p-type ZnO nanowire based random laser diode journal January 2016
Diffusion of Hot and Cold Electrons in Semiconductor Barriers journal June 1962
The Long-Wavelength Edge of Photographic Sensitivity and of the Electronic Absorption of Solids journal December 1953
Room-temperature stimulated emission of ZnO: Alternatives to excitonic lasing journal March 2007
Random Laser Action in Semiconductor Powder journal March 1999
A review of hydrodynamic and energy-transport models for semiconductor device simulation journal February 2003
Diffuse optical tomography of breast cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A case study with comparison to MRI: DOT of breast cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy journal March 2005
365 nm Ultraviolet Laser Diodes Composed of Quaternary AlInGaN Alloy journal November 2003
350.9 nm UV Laser Diode Grown on Low-Dislocation-Density AlGaN journal March 2004
Entirely Crack-Free Ultraviolet GaN/AlGaN Laser Diodes Grown on 2-in. Sapphire Substrate journal September 2007
Detection of nanoscale structural changes in bone using random lasers journal January 2010
Room temperature electrically pumped ultraviolet random lasing from ZnO nanorod arrays on Si journal January 2009
Random laser spectroscopy for nanoscale perturbation sensing journal January 2010
ZnO-Based Ultraviolet Photodetectors journal September 2010

Cited By (5)

Deep‐Ultraviolet Biomolecular Imaging and Analysis journal December 2018
On‐Chip Hyperuniform Lasers for Controllable Transitions in Disordered Systems journal January 2020
Deep-Ultraviolet Luminescence of Rocksalt-Structured MgxZn1−xO (x > 0.5) Films on MgO Substrates journal April 2018
Effect of film thickness on structural and optical properties of sol-gel spin coated aluminum doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) thin films journal July 2018
Assessment of fractal and multifractal features of sol-gel spin coated ZnO thin film surface journal June 2019

Similar Records

Ultraviolet random lasing from asymmetrically contacted MgZnO metal-semiconductor-metal device
Journal Article · Mon Nov 24 04:00:00 UTC 2014 · Applied Physics Letters · OSTI ID:22392052

Metal-semiconductor-metal TiO{sub 2} ultraviolet detectors with Ni electrodes
Journal Article · Mon Mar 23 04:00:00 UTC 2009 · Applied Physics Letters · OSTI ID:21176063

High Mg-content wurtzite MgZnO alloys and their application in deep-ultraviolet light-emitters pumped by accelerated electrons
Journal Article · Mon Jan 20 04:00:00 UTC 2014 · Applied Physics Letters · OSTI ID:22280583

Related Subjects