Stimulated surface- and edge-emission were investigated for ZnO thin films grown epitaxially by pulsed laser deposition. The lasing threshold was 0.32 MW/cm2 for surface pumping and 0.5 MW/cm2 for edge pumping, which is significantly lower than thres
holds observed previously. A modified variable stripe length method was used to measure the gain, which was 1369 cm-1 for N-band emission. Losses were measured using the shifting excitation spot method and values of 6.2 cm-1 and 6.3 cm-1 were found for the N-band and P-band, respectively. The measured gain and loss were the highest and lowest (respectively) ever reported for ZnO films.
Zinc Oxide thin films were grown on c-sapphire substrates using pulsed laser deposition. Pump power dependence of surface emission spectra, acquired using a quadrupled 266 nm laser, revealed room temperature stimulated emission (threshold of 900 kW/c
m2). Time dependent spectral analysis plus gain measurements of single-shot, side-emission, spectra pumped with a nitrogen laser revealed random lasing indicative of the presence of self-forming laser cavities. It is suggested that random lasing in an epitaxial system rather than a 3-dimensional configuration of disordered scattering elements, was due to waveguiding in the film. Waveguiding causes light to be amplified within randomly-formed closed-loops acting as lasing cavities.
Single-photon sources (SPSs) are mainly characterized by the minimum value of their second-order coherence function, viz. their $g^{(2)}$ function. A precise measurement of $g^{(2)}$ may, however, require high time-resolution devices, in whose absenc
e, only time-averaged measurements are accessible. These time-averaged measures, standing alone, do not carry sufficient information for proper characterization of SPSs. Here, we develop a theory, corroborated by an experiment, that allows us to scrutinize the coherence properties of heralded SPSs that rely on continuous-wave parametric down-conversion. Our proposed measures and analysis enable proper standardization of such SPSs.
Poly(ethylene imine) functionalized carbon nanotube thin films, prepared using the vacuum filtration method, were decorated with Au nanoparticles by in situ reduction of HAuCl4 under mild conditions. These Au nanoparticles were subsequently employed
for the growth of GaAs nanowires (NWs) by the vapor-liquid-solid process in a gas source molecular beam epitaxy system. The process resulted in the dense growth of GaAs NWs across the entire surface of the single-walled nanotube (SWNT) films. The NWs, which were orientated in a variety of angles with respect to the SWNT films, ranged in diameter between 20 to 200 nm, with heights up to 2.5 um. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of the NW-SWNT interface indicated that NW growth was initiated upon the surface of the nanotube composite films. Photoluminescence characterization of a single NW specimen showed high optical quality. Rectifying asymmetric current-voltage behavior was observed from contacted NW ensembles and attributed to the core-shell pn-junction within the NWs. Potential applications of such novel hybrid architectures include flexible solar cells, displays, and sensors.
We report on the first real-time implementation of a quantum key distribution (QKD) system using entangled photon pairs that are sent over two free-space optical telescope links. The entangled photon pairs are produced with a type-II spontaneous para
metric down-conversion source placed in a central, potentially untrusted, location. The two free-space links cover a distance of 435 m and 1,325 m respectively, producing a total separation of 1,575 m. The system relies on passive polarization analysis units, GPS timing receivers for synchronization, and custom written software to perform the complete QKD protocol including error correction and privacy amplification. Over 6.5 hours during the night, we observed an average raw key generation rate of 565 bits/s, an average quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 4.92%, and an average secure key generation rate of 85 bits/s.
This letter reports on the growth, structure and luminescent properties of individual multiple quantum well (MQW) AlGaAs nanowires (NWs). The composition modulations (MQWs) are obtained by alternating the elemental flux of Al and Ga during the molecu
lar beam epitaxy growth of the AlGaAs wire on GaAs (111)B substrates. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy performed on individual NWs are consistent with a configuration composed of conical segments stacked along the NW axis. Micro-photoluminescence measurements and confocal microscopy showed enhanced light emission from the MQW NWs as compared to non-segmented NWs due to carrier confinement and sidewall passivation.
