Current Modulation of Plasmonic Nanolasers by Breaking Reciprocity on Hybrid Graphene–Insulator–Metal Platforms

• Published in: Advanced science 2020-12, Vol.7 (24), p.2001823-n/a
• Main Authors: Li, Heng, Huang, Zhen‐Ting, Hong, Kuo‐Bin, Hsu, Chu‐Yuan, Chen, Jia‐Wei, Cheng, Chang‐Wei, Chen, Kuo‐Ping, Lin, Tzy‐Rong, Gwo, Shang‐Jr, Lu, Tien‐Chang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Asymmetry; Circuits; Communication; Communications; Graphene; Lasers; Magnetic fields; Microscopy; nanolasers; Nanowires; nonreciprocity; Optics; Propagation; surface plasmon polaritons; Symmetry
• ISSN: 2198-3844; 2198-3844
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202001823

A hybrid graphene–insulator–metal (GIM) platform is proposed with a supported surface plasmon polariton (SPP) wave that can be manipulated by breaking Lorentz reciprocity. The ZnO SPP nanowire lasers on the GIM platforms are demonstrated up to room temperature to be actively modulated by applying external current to graphene, which transforms the cavity mode from the standing to propagation wave pattern. With applying 100 mA external current, the laser threshold increases by ≈100% and a 1.2 nm Doppler shift is observed due to the nonreciprocal propagation characteristic. The nanolaser performance also depends on the orientation of the nanowire with respect to the current flow direction. The GIM platform can be a promising platform for integrated plasmonic system functioning laser generation, modulation, and detection. Plasmonic nanolasers are incorporated into the hybrid graphene–insulator–metal platform that can break the Lorentz reciprocity by applying external current to graphene in order to actively modulate the laser threshold. Room temperature laser modulation demonstrates that the laser threshold increases by ≈100% with applying 140 mA external current.