EAGER: Moire Cavity Single Emitter Lasers (MOCSELs)

EAGER：莫尔腔单发射激光器 (MOCSEL)

• 批准号: 2234513
• 负责人: Eric Mazur
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-15 至 2024-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2234513&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Moire; Cavity; Single; Emitter

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.

通过控制输入能量与腔中发射器之间的相互作用，蚀刻到半导体板中的周期性图案的孔可以用作微米级和纳米级激光器的有效腔。本研究的重点是一种新的半导体激光器腔的可能性，形成两个这样的板，其中的激光阈值和频率的控制可以通过改变一个板相对于其他的角度。这种腔被称为莫尔光子晶体腔，因为莫尔图案由两个平板的组合图案形成。这项探索性的研究将是多方面的，高度集成的，结合腔模拟和设计，莫尔腔的纳米加工，扭转角可控调整手段的开发，以及这些新器件的激光行为的分析。除了实现一套新的高效，可调谐的微米级和纳米级激光器，这种探索将提供重要的洞察激光过程本身的细节。 综合和协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。我们还希望EAGER项目的多学科和协作方面将通过本科生和高中生的参与得到放大。光子晶体板可以提高微尺度和纳米尺度半导体激光器的效率并显著降低其阈值。提出的莫尔腔单发射激光器（MOCSELs）的EAGER计划将进一步推动激光效率的限制，通过制造莫尔光子晶体腔，其中两个光子晶体板相对于彼此扭曲。扭转角将用于调谐腔模式的品质因数、谐振频率和空间分布，将模式匹配到原子级发射器（诸如InGaN量子点），以实现与单个量子点的目标和可调谐非线性腔耦合。这个多面但紧密集成的计划将开发适当腔结构的模拟和设计，与材料和发射器相匹配，实现实现设计所需的纳米级制造工艺，并将腔与发射器相匹配，以及探索和实施微机电手段来调整扭曲角，实现量子点频率和空间位置范围内的最佳耦合。除了展示新型、可调谐和高效纳米激光器的概念验证外，该项目的研究还应提供对激光发射机制和腔-发射器相互作用的变革性见解，从而在单发射器水平上实现可调谐激光器。该奖项反映了NSF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。