Metal–insulator–metal waveguides with lateral electrical pumping

Metal–insulator–metal (MIM) waveguides are demonstrated which have electrically pumped semiconductor gain medium at their core. In particular electrical contacts are made well away from the optical mode and carriers are transported to the gain medium via semiconductor pathways a few tens of nanometers thick. Wet chemical etching is employed to form the gain medium cores, which can have widths on the order of 150 nanometers (nm). Total thickness of the layers between the metal sheets in the MIM structure is approximately 260 nm. Spectra obtained from devices with wider core widths operating at low temperatures and wavelengths near 1550 nm are examined. The nanowire like gain medium cores have an approximately rectangular cross section. Key process steps to form these waveguide structures with their electrically pumped cores are also described.