Plasmonic Waveguide-Integrated Nanowire Laser

Next-generation optoelectronic devices and photonic circuitry will have to incorporate on-chip compatible nanolaser sources. Semiconductor nanowire lasers have emerged as strong candidates for integrated systems with applications ranging from ultrasensitive sensing, to data communication technologies. Despite significant advances in their fundamental aspects, the integration within scalable photonic circuitry remains challenging. Here we report on the realization of hybrid photonic devices consisting of nanowire lasers integrated with wafer-scale lithographically designed V-groove plasmonic waveguides. We present experimental evidence of the lasing emission and coupling into the propagating modes of the V-grooves, enabling on-chip routing of coherent and sub-diffraction confined light with room temperature operation. Theoretical considerations suggest that the observed lasing is enabled by a waveguide hybrid photonic-plasmonic mode. This work represents a major advance towards the realization of application-oriented photonic circuits with integrated nanolaser sources.
24 pages, 4 figures