Light Outcoupling from Quantum Dot-Based Microdisk Laser via Plasmonic Nanoantenna

Microdisk lasers demonstrate high performance and low threshold characteristics due to supporting of whispering gallery modes with a high quality factor. One of the challenging problems impeding some practical applications of whispering gallery mode lasers is that they have isotropic emission predominantly lying in the plane of the cavity. In this work, we present a novel method that provides both enhancement of the laser emission and modifies its directivity, making the vertical direction favorable. Electromagnetic energy outcouples from the cavity through the platinum–carbon plasmonic wire nanoantenna grown by electron-beam assisted deposition right up the side wall of the cavity. Evanescent field of whispering gallery mode excites surface plasmon polariton which propagates along the nanoantenna and scatters at its tip. We demonstrate 20× enhancement of the dominant mode intensity with 24 dB of side mode suppression increment without essential worsening of the Q-factor which remains over 3 × 104. The proposed approach of the efficient control over the spectrum, directivity, and emission efficiency from microdisk lasers could be very promising for many practical applications from telecommunication technologies to biosensing.