Nanostructures of inorganic semiconductors have revolutionized many areas of electronics, optoelectronics and photonics. The controlled synthesis of semiconductor nanostructures could lead to novel physical properties, improved optoelectronic device performance and new areas for exploration. Lead halide perovskites have recently excited the photovoltaic research community owing to their high solar-conversion efficiencies and ease of solution processing; they also hold great promise for optoelectronic applications, such as light-emitting diodes and lasers. In this Review, we summarize recent developments in the synthesis and characterization of metal halide perovskite nanostructures with controllable compositions, dimensionality, morphologies and orientations. We examine the advantageous optical properties, improved stability and potential optoelectronic applications of these 1D and 2D single-crystal perovskite nanostructures and compare them with those of bulk perovskites and nanostructures of conventional semiconductors. Studies in which perovskite nanostructures have been used to study the fundamental physical properties of perovskites are also highlighted. Finally, we discuss the challenges in realizing halide perovskite nanostructures for optoelectronic and photonic applications and offer our perspectives on future opportunities and research directions. Metal halide perovskite nanostructures are promising materials for optoelectronic applications. In this Review, we discuss the synthesis and properties of 1D and 2D single-crystal perovskite nanostructures, examine potential optoelectronic applications and highlight recent studies in which these nanostructures have been used to study the fundamental properties of perovskites.

Metal halide perovskite nanostructures for optoelectronic applications and the study of physical properties

Over the past decade, tremendous progress has been achieved in the development of nanoscale semiconductor materials with a wide range of bandgaps by alloying different individual semiconductors. These materials include traditional II–VI and III–V semiconductors and their alloys, inorganic and hybrid perovskites, and the newly emerging 2D materials. One important common feature of these materials is that their nanoscale dimensions result in a large tolerance to lattice mismatches within a monolithic structure of varying composition or between the substrate and target material, which enables us to achieve almost arbitrary control of the variation of the alloy composition. As a result, the bandgaps of these alloys can be widely tuned without the detrimental defects that are often unavoidable in bulk materials, which have a much more limited tolerance to lattice mismatches. This class of nanomaterials could have a far-reaching impact on a wide range of photonic applications, including tunable lasers, solid-state lighting, artificial photosynthesis and new solar cells. Nanoscale semiconductor materials have large tolerance to lattice mismatches, which enables an almost arbitrary control of alloy composition and bandgap energy. In this Review, semiconductor alloy nanomaterials are examined, and their synthesis, properties and potential for applications — such as lasers, solid-state lighting and solar cells — are discussed.

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Bandgap engineering in semiconductor alloy nanomaterials with widely tunable compositions

Silicon crystallized in the usual cubic (diamond) lattice structure has dominated the electronics industry for more than half a century. However, cubic silicon (Si), germanium (Ge) and SiGe alloys are all indirect-bandgap semiconductors that cannot emit light efficiently. The goal1 of achieving efficient light emission from group-IV materials in silicon technology has been elusive for decades2–6. Here we demonstrate efficient light emission from direct-bandgap hexagonal Ge and SiGe alloys. We measure a sub-nanosecond, temperature-insensitive radiative recombination lifetime and observe an emission yield similar to that of direct-bandgap group-III–V semiconductors. Moreover, we demonstrate that, by controlling the composition of the hexagonal SiGe alloy, the emission wavelength can be continuously tuned over a broad range, while preserving the direct bandgap. Our experimental findings are in excellent quantitative agreement with ab initio theory. Hexagonal SiGe embodies an ideal material system in which to combine electronic and optoelectronic functionalities on a single chip, opening the way towards integrated device concepts and information-processing technologies. A hexagonal (rather than cubic) alloy of silicon and germanium that has a direct (rather than indirect) bandgap emits light efficiently across a range of wavelengths, enabling electronic and optoelectronic functionalities to be combined on a single chip.

Direct-bandgap emission from hexagonal Ge and SiGe alloys

Nanophotonics is a rapidly developing field of research with many suggestions for a design of nanoantennas, sensors and miniature metadevices Despite many proposals for passive nanophotonic devices, the efficient coupling of light to nanoscale optical structures remains a major challenge In this article, we propose a nanoscale laser based on a tightly confined anapole mode By harnessing the non-radiating nature of the anapole state, we show how to engineer nanolasers based on InGaAs nanodisks as on-chip sources with unique optical properties Leveraging on the near-field character of anapole modes, we demonstrate a spontaneously polarized nanolaser able to couple light into waveguide channels with four orders of magnitude intensity than classical nanolasers, as well as the generation of ultrafast (of 100 fs) pulses via spontaneous mode locking of several anapoles Anapole nanolasers offer an attractive platform for monolithically integrated, silicon photonics sources for advanced and efficient nanoscale circuitry

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Anapole nanolasers for mode-locking and ultrafast pulse generation

Silicon crystallized in the usual cubic (diamond) lattice structure has dominated the electronics industry for more than half a century. However, cubic silicon (Si), germanium (Ge) and SiGe-alloys are all indirect bandgap semiconductors that cannot emit light efficiently. Accordingly, achieving efficient light emission from group-IV materials has been a holy grail in silicon technology for decades and, despite tremendous efforts, it has remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate efficient light emission from direct bandgap hexagonal Ge and SiGe alloys. We measure a subnanosecond, temperature-insensitive radiative recombination lifetime and observe a similar emission yield to direct bandgap III-V semiconductors. Moreover, we demonstrate how by controlling the composition of the hexagonal SiGe alloy, the emission wavelength can be continuously tuned in a broad range, while preserving a direct bandgap. Our experimental findings are shown to be in excellent quantitative agreement with the ab initio theory. Hexagonal SiGe embodies an ideal material system to fully unite electronic and optoelectronic functionalities on a single chip, opening the way towards novel device concepts and information processing technologies.

Direct Bandgap Emission from Hexagonal Ge and SiGe Alloys

Reliable technologies for the monolithic integration of lasers onto silicon represent the holy grail for chip-level optical interconnects. In this context, nanowires (NWs) fabricated using III–V semiconductors are of strong interest since they can be grown site-selectively on silicon using conventional epitaxial approaches. Their unique one-dimensional structure and high refractive index naturally facilitate low loss optical waveguiding and optical recirculation in the active NW-core region. However, lasing from NWs on silicon has not been achieved to date, due to the poor modal reflectivity at the NW-silicon interface. We demonstrate how, by inserting a tailored dielectric interlayer at the NW-Si interface, low-threshold single mode lasing can be achieved in vertical-cavity GaAs–AlGaAs core–shell NW lasers on silicon as measured at low temperature. By exploring the output characteristics along a detection direction parallel to the NW-axis, we measure very high spontaneous emission factors comparable to n...

Monolithically Integrated High-β Nanowire Lasers on Silicon

We demonstrate single-mode continuous wave (cw) lasing from individual GaAs-AlGaAs core-shell nanowires (NWs) subject to optical excitation. By comparing the s-shaped input-output characteristics of cw-excited NW lasers with those obtained under pulsed excitation at 4 K, we observe a ∼4× lower equivalent pump power for cw-excitation and a lower minimum lasing linewidth of ∼200 μeV, indicative of the steady-state excitation conditions that result in improved temporal coherence of the emission. Analysis of the NW cavity length dependence of the mode characteristics reveals a clear inverse scaling behavior, with the spacing of Fabry–Perot modes corresponding to a group refractive index of ∼8. Remarkably, when subject to cw excitation heating of the NW-lasers is found to be negligible, as verified by a constant lasing linewidth as well as the absence of red-shifted lasing peak emission at high excitation levels.

L. Janker

Papers

Monolithically Integrated High-β Nanowire Lasers on Silicon

Continuous wave lasing from individual GaAs-AlGaAs core-shell nanowires