Open AccessUnidirectional Lasing from Template-Stripped Two-Dimensional Plasmonic Crystals
Author(s) -
Ankun Yang,
Zhongyang Li,
Michael P. Knudson,
Alexander J. Hryn,
Weijia Wang,
Koray Aydın,
Teri W. Odom
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
acs nano
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.554
H-Index - 382
eISSN - 1936-086X
pISSN - 1936-0851
DOI - 10.1021/acsnano.5b05419
Subject(s) - lasing threshold , plasmon , materials science , laser , optoelectronics , spontaneous emission , optics , wavelength , active laser medium , laser power scaling , physics
Plasmon lasers support cavity structures with sizes below that of the diffraction limit. However, most plasmon-based lasers show bidirectional lasing emission or emission with limited far-field directionality and large radiative losses. Here, we report unidirectional lasing from ultrasmooth, template-stripped two-dimensional (2D) plasmonic crystals. Optically pumped 2D plasmonic crystals (Au or Ag) surrounded by dye molecules exhibited lasing in a single emission direction and their lasing wavelength could be tuned by modulating the dielectric environment. We found that 2D plasmonic crystals were an ideal architecture to screen how nanocavity unit-cell structure, metal material, and gain media affected the lasing response. We discovered that template-stripped strong plasmonic materials with cylindrical posts were an optimal cavity design for a unidirectional laser operating at room temperature.