Dilute Nitride Nanowire Lasers Based on a GaAs/GaNAs Core/Shell Structure

Nanowire (NW) lasers operating in the near-infrared spectral range are of significant technological importance for applications in telecommunications, sensing, and medical diagnostics. So far, lasing within this spectral range has been achieved using GaAs/AlGaAs, GaAs/GaAsP, and InGaAs/GaAs core/shell NWs. Another promising III–V material, not yet explored in its lasing capacity, is the dilute nitride GaNAs. In this work, we demonstrate, for the first time, optically pumped lasing from the GaNAs shell of a single GaAs/GaNAs core/shell NW. The characteristic “S”-shaped pump power dependence of the lasing intensity, with the concomitant line width narrowing, is observed, which yields a threshold gain, g th , of 3300 cm–1 and a spontaneous emission coupling factor, β, of 0.045. The dominant lasing peak is identified to arise from the HE21b cavity mode, as determined from its pronounced emission polarization along the NW axis combined with theoretical calculations of lasing threshold for guided modes inside the nanowire. Even without intentional passivation of the NW surface, the lasing emission can be sustained up to 150 K. This is facilitated by the improved surface quality due to nitrogen incorporation, which partly suppresses the surface-related nonradiative recombination centers via nitridation. Our work therefore represents the first step toward development of room-temperature infrared NW lasers based on dilute nitrides with extended tunability in the lasing wavelength.