EAGER: Moire Cavity Single Emitter Lasers (MOCSELs)

通过控制输入能量与腔内发射器之间的相互作用，刻蚀在半导体板上的孔的周期性图案可以作为微尺度和纳米尺度激光器的有效腔。这项研究的重点是一种新型半导体激光腔的可能性，由两个这样的板组成，其中可以通过改变一个板相对于另一个板的角度来控制激光阈值和频率。这样的腔被称为莫尔条纹光子晶体腔，因为莫尔条纹是由两块板的组合图案形成的。本探索性研究将多方面、强集成化，将腔体仿真与设计、涡流腔的纳米化制造、扭转角可控调节手段的开发以及这些新型器件的激光行为分析相结合。除了实现一套新的高效，可调谐的微尺度和纳米尺度激光器之外，这一探索将为激光过程本身的细节提供重要的见解。综合和合作的方法将为参与该项目的博士后和研究生提供一个非常丰富的研究和教育环境。我们还期望，大学生和高中生的参与将扩大这个EAGER项目的多学科和合作方面。光子晶体板可以提高效率，并大大降低微尺度和纳米尺度半导体激光器的门槛。提出的moir<s:1>腔单发射器激光器（MOCSELs）的EAGER计划将通过制造两个光子晶体板相互扭曲的moir<s:1>光子晶体腔来进一步突破激光效率的极限。扭转角将用于调整空腔模式的质量因子、谐振频率和空间分布，将模式匹配到原子尺度的发射体，如InGaN量子点，以实现与单个量子点的定向和可调谐非线性空腔耦合。这个多面但紧密集成的项目将开发与材料和发射体匹配的适当腔结构的模拟和设计，实现实现设计和匹配腔与发射体所需的纳米级制造工艺，以及探索和实现微机电手段来调整扭转角，实现在一系列量子点频率和空间位置上的最佳耦合。除了展示新的、可调谐的、高效的纳米级激光器的概念验证之外，该项目研究应该为激光机制、腔-发射器相互作用以及单发射器水平的可调谐激光器提供变革性的见解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Periodic patterns of holes etched into semiconductor slabs can serve as efficient cavities for microscale and nanoscale lasers by controlling the interaction between input energy and the emitters in the cavity. This research focuses on the possibilities of a new kind of semiconductor laser cavity, formed of two such slabs, where control of the lasing threshold and frequency may be done by changing the angle of one slab with respect to the other. Such cavities are called moiré photonic crystal cavities, because of the moiré patterns that are formed by the combined patterns of the two slabs. This exploratory research will be multi-facetted and strongly integrated, combining cavity simulation and design, nanofabrication of the moiré cavities, development of the means of controllable adjustment of the twist angle, and analysis of the lasing behavior of these new devices. Beyond the achievement of a suite of new efficient, tunable microscale and nanoscale lasers, this exploration will provide important insights into the details of the lasing process itself. The integrative and collaborative approach will provide an exceptionally rich research and education environment for the postdocs and graduate students involved in the project. We also expect that the multidisciplinary and collaborative aspects of this EAGER project will be amplified by the participation of undergraduates and high-school students. Photonic crystal slabs permit increasing the efficiencies and dramatically lowering the threshold of micro-scale and nanoscale semiconductor lasers. The proposed EAGER program on Moiré Cavity Single Emitter Lasers (MOCSELs) will further push the limits of lasing efficiency by fabricating moiré photonic crystal cavities, where two photonic crystal slabs are twisted relative to each other. The twist angle will be used to tune the quality factor, resonant frequency, and spatial distribution of the cavity modes, matching modes to atomic-scale emitters, such as InGaN quantum dots to achieve targeted and tunable non-linear cavity coupling to single quantum dots. This multi-facetted yet tightly integrated program will develop the simulations and design of the appropriate cavity structure, matched to the materials and emitters, implement the nanoscale fabrication processes needed to realize the design and match cavities to emitters, and as well, explore and implement Micro-electromechanical means to tune the twist angle, achieving optimal coupling across a range of quantum dot frequencies and spatial locations. Beyond demonstrating proof-of-concept of new, tunable, and highly efficient nanoscale lasers, the program research should provide transformational insights into the mechanisms of lasing, and cavity-emitter interactions, and therefore tunable lasers at the single-emitter level.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.