Continuous-Wave Operation of 1D Photonic-Crystal Nanolasers on SiO2/Si at up to 100°C

We demonstrate continuous-wave operation of electrically-driven 1D photonic-crystal nanolasers on SiO2/Si at up to 100°C. The strong optical confinement, high-Q cavity, and appropriate wavelength detuning from the gain peak facilitate high-temperature operation, enabling us to achieve an ultralow threshold current of $\mathbf{52}\ \boldsymbol{\mu} \mathbf{A}$ at 100°C.

I. Introduction

Electrically-driven III-V nanolasers are the key for on-chip optical communications and computing with ultralow power consumption. For such usages, it is important to enable those high-temperature operation compatible with the self-heated on-chip environments. Here, it is quite challenging for nanolasers to achieve high-temperature endurance since their ultrasmall active volumes make it difficult to meet the lasing condition with the thermally degraded material gain. One of the most promising candidates has been the two-dimensional (2D) photonic-crystal (PhC) nanolasers with ultrasmall buried active regions [1], [2], which achieved continuous-wave (CW) operation at up to 95°C with a threshold current of on an InP substrate [1].