Photopumped Buried Dielectric Photonic-Crystal Surface-Emitting Lasers

We propose and demonstrate a photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser (PCSEL) design utilizing sub-micron buried dielectric features as the low-index component of the photonic crystal. PCSELs are semiconductor lasers with exceptional beam characteristics, including high brightness and narrow, round spot sizes, making them attractive sources for applications such as LiDAR, optical communications, material processing, and directed energy. However, mass transport deformation in InP-based materials can challenge the integrity and uniformity of conventional encapsulated air void photonic crystals. To overcome this, we fabricate buried dielectric PCSELs designed to preserve the photonic crystal structure during regrowth and enhance reliability under high-power and high-current-density operation. We report the first lasing from a photopumped buried dielectric PCSEL at room temperature with emission at 1.5 μm, utilizing fully encapsulated dielectric features fabricated by lateral epitaxial overgrowth via molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE).