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{{Short description|Semiconductor laser that uses quantum dots as the active laser medium}}
A '''quantum dot laser''' is a semiconductor laser that uses [[Physics:Quantum dot|quantum dot]]s as the active medium for stimulated emission of light. Due to [[Physics:Potential well|quantum confinement]] of [[Physics:Charge carrier|charge carrier]]s in all three spatial directions, their energy spectrum in quantum dots is discrete and resembles that in atoms. [[Engineering:Laser diode|Injection lasers]] based on semiconductor quantum dot heterostructures promise device characteristics superior to traditional semiconductor lasers based on [[Engineering:Quantum well laser|quantum wells]] and even more so bulk active medium.<ref name="alferov">{{Cite journal |last=Alferov |first=Zhores I. |date=July 2001 |title=Nobel Lecture: The double heterostructure concept and its applications in physics, electronics, and technology
|url=https://journals.aps.org/rmp/pdf/10.1103/RevModPhys.73.767 |journal=Reviews of Modern Physics
|volume=73 |issue=3 |pages=767-782 |doi=10.1103/RevModPhys.73.767 }}</ref><ref name="kroemer">{{Cite journal |last=Kroemer |first=Herbert |date=July 2001 |title=Nobel Lecture: Quasielectric fields and band offsets: teaching electrons new tricks
|url=https://journals.aps.org/rmp/pdf/10.1103/RevModPhys.73.783 |journal=Reviews of Modern Physics
|volume=73 |issue=3 |pages=783-793 |doi=10.1103/RevModPhys.73.783 }}</ref> Improvements in [[Physics:Lasing threshold|lasing threshold]], [[Physics:Relative intensity noise|relative intensity noise]], linewidth enhancement factor and temperature-insensitivity have already been demonstrated in quantum dot lasers. The quantum dot active region may also be engineered to operate at different wavelengths by varying dot sizes and composition. This allows to fabricate quantum dot lasers operating at wavelengths beyond those achievable in [[Engineering:Quantum well laser|quantum well lasers]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2004/0910-01.html|title=Fujitsu, University of Tokyo Develop World's First 10Gbps Quantum Dot Laser Featuring Breakthrough Temperature-Independent Output - Fujitsu Global}}</ref>

In injection lasers based on self-assembled quantum dots obtained by Stranski-Krastanov growth mode,<ref name="bimberg">{{Cite journal |last=Bimberg |first=D. |last2=Kirstaedter |first2=N. |last3=Ledentsov |first3=N. N. |last4=Alferov |first4=Zh. I. |last5=Kop'ev |first5=P. S. |last6=Ustinov |first6=V. M. |date=April 1997 |title=InGaAs-GaAs quantum-dot lasers |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/605656 |journal=IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=196-205 |doi=10.1109/2944.605656 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="lester">{{Cite journal |last=Lester |first=L. F. |last2=Stintz |first2=A. |last3=Li |first3=H. |last4=Newell |first4=T. C. |last5=Pease |first5=E. A. |last6=Fuchs |first6=B. A. |last7=Malloy |first7=K. J. |date=August 1999 |title=Optical characteristics of 1.24-μm InAs quantum-dot laser diodes |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/775303 |journal=IEEE Photonics Technology Letters |volume=11 |issue=8 |pages=931-933 |doi=10.1109/68.775303 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="bhattacharya">{{Cite journal |last=Kim |first=K. |last2=Norris |first2=T. B. |last3=Ghosh |first3=S. |last4=Singh |first4=J. |last5=Bhattacharya |first5=P. |date=March 2003 |title=Level degeneracy and temperature-dependent carrier distributions in self-organized quantum dots |url=https://pubs.aip.org/aip/apl/article-abstract/82/12/1959/513902/Level-degeneracy-and-temperature-dependent-carrier?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Applied Physics Letters |volume=82 |issue=12 |pages=1959-1961 |doi=10.1063/1.1563732 |hdl=2027.42/71141 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name="nishi">{{Cite journal |last=Nishi |first=Kenichi |last2=Takemasa |first2=Keizo |last3=Sugawara |first3=Mitsuru |last4=Arakawa |first4=Yasuhiko |date=November 2017 |title=Development of quantum dot lasers for data-com and silicon photonics applications |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7915690 |journal=IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics |volume=23 |issue=6 |pages=1901007 |doi=10.1109/JSTQE.2017.2699787 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Physics:Spectral broadening|inhomogeneous line broadening]] is inherently present that is caused by quantum dot size-dispersion. Inhomogeneous line broadening adversely affects the quantum dot laser characteristics; in particular, it makes the threshold current higher and more temperature-sensitive.<ref name="asryan">{{Cite journal |last=Asryan |first=Levon V. |last2=Suris |first2=Robert A. |date=April 1996 |title=Inhomogeneous line broadening and the threshold current density of a semiconductor quantum dot laser
|url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0268-1242/11/4/017 |journal=Semiconductor Science and Technology
|volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=554-567 |doi=10.1088/0268-1242/11/4/017 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Hence a strict control of uniformity of quantum dots is required in self-organized laser structures.

Devices based on quantum dot active media have found commercial application in medicine ([[Physics:Laser scalpel|laser scalpel]], [[Physics:Optical coherence tomography|optical coherence tomography]]), display technologies (projection, [[Engineering:Laser TV|laser TV]]), spectroscopy and telecommunications. A 10 Gbit/s quantum dot laser that is insensitive to temperature fluctuation for use in optical data communications and optical networks has been developed using this technology. The laser is capable of high-speed operation at 1.3 μm wavelengths, at temperatures from 20 °C to 70 °C. It works in optical data transmission systems, optical [[Engineering:Local area network|LAN]]s and metro-access systems. In comparison to the performance of conventional [[Physics:Strained quantum-well laser|strained quantum-well laser]]s of the past, the new quantum dot laser achieves significantly higher stability of temperature.

Newer, so called "Comb lasers", capable of emitting multiple discrete wavelengths of light, based on quantum dot lasers have been found to be capable of operating at wavelengths of ≥ 80 nm and be unaffected by temperatures between -20 °C and 90 °C, and allow higher accuracy with reduced fluctuations and less [[Physics:Relative intensity noise|relative intensity noise]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.innolume.com/quantum-dots/|title=Quantum dot laser technology|access-date=2022-03-09|archive-date=2023-03-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302201816/https://www.innolume.com/quantum-dots/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.innolume.com/innoproducts/comb-laser/|title = Comb laser | Optical Frequency Combs}}</ref>

Lasers exploiting optically pumped nanocrystal quantum dots as their active medium exhibit device performance that is closer to [[Physics:Solid-state laser|solid-state lasers]] than to injection lasers. One challenge in lasers based on nanocrystal quantum dots is the presence of multicarrier [[Physics:Carrier generation and recombination|Auger processes]] which increases the nonradiative transitions rates.<ref name="melnychuk">{{Cite journal |last=Melnychuk |first=Christopher |last2=Guyot-Sionnest |first2=Philippe |date=2021-02-24 |title=Multicarrier Dynamics in Quantum Dots |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00931 |journal=Chemical Reviews |volume=121 |issue=4 |pages=2325–2372 |doi=10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00931 |issn=0009-2665|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In contrast to bulk semiconductors, the Auger processes rates can be controlled to some degree in nanocrystal quantum dots.

In development are colloidal quantum dot lasers, which would use quantum confinement to change the optical properties of the semiconductor crystals (≤ 10 nm in diameter) through solution-based rearrangements of quantum dots.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Park |first1=Young-Shin |last2=Roh |first2=Jeongkyun |last3=Diroll |first3=Benjamin T. |last4=Schaller |first4=Richard D. |last5=Klimov |first5=Victor I. |title=Colloidal quantum dot lasers |journal=Nature Reviews Materials |date=May 2021 |volume=6 |issue=5 |pages=382–401 |doi=10.1038/s41578-020-00274-9 |bibcode=2021NatRM...6..382P |osti=1864315 |s2cid=231931231 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kagan |first1=Cherie R. |last2=Bassett |first2=Lee C. |last3=Murray |first3=Christopher B. |last4=Thompson |first4=Sarah M. |title=Colloidal Quantum Dots as Platforms for Quantum Information Science |journal=Chemical Reviews |date=10 March 2021 |volume=121 |issue=5 |pages=3186–3233 |doi=10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00831 |pmid=33372773 |s2cid=229715753 }}</ref> [[Biology:Self-assembly|Self-assembly]] of colloidal quantum dots into microsized supraparticle aggregates has demonstrated lasing through the [[Physics:Whispering-gallery wave|whispering-gallery modes]] that arise at the spherical boundary. These quantum dot lasers have proven to be recyclable, with high performance at thresholds as low as 100 μJ·cm<sup>-2</sup>.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1364/OME.537183|title=Recycling self-assembled colloidal quantum dot supraparticle lasers|year=2024|last1=Downie|first1=D. H.|last2=Eling|first2=C. J.|last3=Charlton|first3=B. K.|last4=Alves|first4=P. U.|last5=Edwards|first5=P. R.|last6=Laurand|first6=N.|journal=Optical Materials Express|volume=14|issue=12|pages=2982-2994|doi-access=free | url=https://doi.org/10.1364/OME.537183}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Physics:List of laser articles|List of laser articles]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Semiconductor laser}}

{{Display Technology}}

[[Category:Semiconductor lasers]]
[[Category:Quantum dots]]

{{Sourceattribution|Quantum dot laser}}

Physics:Quantum dot laser - Revision history

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