Infra-Plas: Colloidal Quantum Dots for Short-Wave Infrared Plasmonic Lasers

近红外和短波红外区域（700 nm至3000 nm）的激光器和光学放大器是现代技术中关键的光子技术。它们跨越了许多相关的技术窗口，如电信波段（1250 nm至1625 nm）、激光雷达波长（905 nm和1550 nm）、人眼安全波长（>1400 nm）以及NIR-IIc（1700 nm至1880 nm）、NIR-III（2080 nm至2340 nm）生物窗口和大气气体传感光谱（~2000 nm）。然而，传统的真空沉积半导体激光二极管和硅微电子/光子学的集成是众所周知的困难，由于材料的不兼容性，阻止了这些技术的超大规模集成和片上量子通信/信息器件的发展。溶液处理的PbS胶体量子点（CQD）可以更好地服务于这些红外应用，因为它们可以很容易地集成到硅技术中，适合于具有成本效益的大规模光子器件生产，并且具有可调的光电特性。然而，第一代PbS激光器存在半高宽（~ 4 nm）和低Q值的缺点，限制了其应用。高q因子腔，例如由等离子体结构产生的腔。因此也需要最大化PbS CQD激光器的潜力。该项目的目的是通过开发等离子体激元腔体，在推进PbS CQD激光技术用于集成光子学方面迈出关键一步，并探索其作为未来光子器件的可行性。

Lasers and optical amplifiers in the near- and short-wave infrared regions (700 nm to 3000 nm) are are a key enabling photonictechnology in modern technologies. They span many relevant technological windows such as telecommunications bands (1250 nmto 1625 nm), LIDAR wavelengths (905 nm & 1550 nm), eye-safe wavelengths (>1400 nm), and the NIR-IIc (1700 nm to 1880 nm), NIR-III(2080 nm to 2340 nm) biological windows and atmospheric gas sensing spectroscopy (~2000 nm). However, the integration oftraditional vacuum deposited semiconductor laser diodes and silicon microelectronics/photonics is notoriously difficult due tomaterial incompatibilities, preventing the very-large scale integration of these technologies and the development of on-chipquantum communication/information devices. Solution processed PbS colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) could better serve theseapplications in the infrared as they can be readily integrated into silicon technologies, lend themselves to cost-effective large scaleproduction of photonic devices and have tunable optoelectronic properties. However, the first generation of PbS lasers suffer fromlarge FWHM (~ 4 nm) and low q-factors, limiting their application. High q-factor cavities, such as those generated from plasmonicstrucures. are therefore also required to maximize the potential of PbS CQD lasers. The aim of this project will be to make a crucialstep in advancing PbS CQD laser technology for integrated photonics and explore their viability as future photonic devices, throughthe development of plasmonic caivites.