Optically Pumped Two-Dimensional MoS2 Lasers Operating at Room-Temperature

The discovery of direct bandgap semiconducting two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) has opened a new era in flexible optoelectronic devices. Critical to this development is the realization of a semiconductor laser using the emerging 2D TMDCs. Here, by embedding 2D MoS2 at the interface between a free-standing microdisk and microsphere, we have demonstrated, for the first time, room-temperature lasing from 2D TMDCs. The devices exhibit multiple lasing peaks in the wavelength range of ∼600 to 800 nm. The threshold is measured to be ∼5 μW under continuous wave operation at room temperature. No saturation in the output power is measured for pump powers more than 2 orders of magnitude larger than the threshold. The superior performance is attributed to the large gain of 2D TMDCs and the strong coupling between the 2D MoS2 gain medium and optical modes in the unique optical cavity.