Design and optimization of perovskite plasmonic nano-laser for operation at room temperature

This work presents the design and optimization of a cascade nano-laser using CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite. Due to increasing threshold gain with decreasing device size and high Auger losses, the use of perovskite as the active medium in the cascade nano-laser was proposed, as the material possesses a high emission rate in the visible wavelength region, with relative ease of device fabrication. By optimizing the thickness of the perovskite, its width, and the thickness of the silica used, photonic and plasmonic modes were created, which were further considered to permit the generation of lasing, using their respective Purcell factors. The pump wavelength considered was 400 nm, with the laser emission then at 537 nm. For suitability of plasmonic lasing, a Purcell factor FP of 1.22 is reported here, with no possibility for photonic lasing due to its FP value being less than 1 in this design. However, mode-crossing effects were observed in the plasmonic mode at λ = 400 nm for two designs: at a silica thickness of 27.5 nm with perovskite thickness and width of 100 and 300 nm, respectively, and at a silica thickness of 30 nm with perovskite thickness and width of 95 and 300 nm, respectively. These mode-crossing effects can be further analyzed to use these devices in the design of potential new sensor systems, mainly for gas and chemical sensing, exploiting the refractive index sensing capability as a means to determine the concentration of the gases, or other chemicals, under study.