Edge-emitting polariton laser and amplifier based on a ZnO waveguide

Edge-Emitting Polariton lasers: A step closer to two-dimensional all-optical devices A type of laser that can propagate along tiny, two-dimensional horizontal cavities in semiconductor materials at room temperature could be used in novel all-optical devices. Polaritons are quasi-particles created from the resonant coupling of light (photons) and matter (electron-hole pairs, or ‘excitons’) in tiny enclosed spaces, such as the microcavities fabricated from semiconductor materials. Polariton lasers could enable researchers to build energy-efficient, compact all-optical devices. Guillaume Malpuech at the Institut Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and co-workers have designed a new type of polariton laser and amplifier operating at room temperature. Their design does not require the use of a microcavity but is based on the use of the polariton guided modes of a ZnO layer. This horizontal, guided geometry is appealing because it is easy to fabricate and to integrate in two-dimensional optical circuits.