The world's first perovskite laser has been developed.

A team from Zhejiang University's College of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering and Haining International University recently published their research findings on the world's first perovskite laser in the international journal Nature. This device, which utilizes a dual optical microcavity structure, combines low power consumption with easy tunability, making it suitable for applications such as optical data transmission and as a light-emitting diode in integrated photonic chips and wearable devices.

Semiconductor lasers are important light sources in computing. Perovskite semiconductors are a new class of laser materials with low operating costs and easy integration into silicon-based optoelectronic platforms. Their tunable emission spectra enable optically driven lasers to reach the lowest possible lasing threshold, opening up significant technological opportunities. The external energy required to drive lasers is typically provided in two forms: electrical energy and optical energy. However, optical control typically requires high-quality external light sources, limiting the number of viable devices. Developing electrically driven perovskite lasers is a fundamental challenge in perovskite optoelectronics.

The device reportedly efficiently couples a large number of photons generated by an electrically excited microcavity perovskite LED into a second microcavity. There, they are excited by a single-crystal perovskite gain medium, generating lasing with a coupling efficiency as high as 82.7%. The starting current required to trigger this new semiconductor laser is 92 amperes per square centimeter, an order of magnitude higher than that of the best electrically driven organic lasers, and exhibits excellent stability.