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A microcavity-controlled, current-driven, on-chip nanotube emitter at infrared wavelengths

Nature Nanotechnology volume 3, pages 609–613 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Recent studies of the optical properties of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes1,2,3,4,5,6 suggest that these truly nanometre-scale systems have a promising future in nanophotonics, in addition to their well-known potential in electronics7,8. Semiconducting single-walled nanotubes have a direct, diameter-dependent bandgap8 and can be excited readily by current injection, which makes them attractive as nano-emitters. The electroluminescence is spectrally broad, spatially non-directional, and the radiative yield is low5,9. Here we report the monolithic integration of a single, electrically excited, semiconducting nanotube transistor with a planar λ/2 microcavity10,11,12,13, thus taking an important first step in the development of nanotube-based nanophotonic devices. The spectral full-width at half-maximum of the emission is reduced from ∼300 to ∼40 nm at a cavity resonance of 1.75 µm, and the emission becomes highly directional. The maximum enhancement of the radiative rate is estimated to be 4. We also show that both the optically and electrically excited luminescence of single-walled nanotubes involve the same E11 excitonic transition.

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Figure 1: Schematic view of the integrated device and its electronic properties.
Figure 2: Carbon nanotube characterization and emission mechanism identification.
Figure 3: Microcavity-controlled electroluminescence spectra of carbon nanotubes.
Figure 4: Angle dependence of the microcavity-controlled emission.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank M. Freitag, Z. Chen, Yu. A. Vlasov, S. Assefa and W. G. Green for helpful discussions, J. Tsang and M. Kinoshita for help with the emission spectra measurements, J. Small for help with the cavity Q measurement, B. Ek for technical support and Central Scientific Services in IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center for metal deposition and mask fabrications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nanometer Scale Science and Technology, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, 1101 Kitchawan Rd, PO Box 218, Yorktown Heights, 10598, New York, USA

    Fengnian Xia, Mathias Steiner, Yu-ming Lin & Phaedon Avouris

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  1. Fengnian Xia
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  2. Mathias Steiner
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  3. Yu-ming Lin
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  4. Phaedon Avouris
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Correspondence to Fengnian Xia or Phaedon Avouris.

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Xia, F., Steiner, M., Lin, Ym. et al. A microcavity-controlled, current-driven, on-chip nanotube emitter at infrared wavelengths. Nature Nanotech 3, 609–613 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2008.241

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