Two-dimensional light confinement in periodic InGaN/GaN nanocolumn arrays and optically pumped blue stimulated emission

Two-dimensional (2D) light diffraction in a uniform array of GaN nanocolumns arranged in a rectangular lattice dramatically enhanced the light intensity at a specific wavelength, indicating the function of 2D distributed feedback (DFB). Here a GaN rectangular-lattice nanocolumn array, which integrated InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) in the top region of the nanocolumns, was grown by rf-plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (rf-MBE). At a specific wavelength of 471.1 nm, the first observation of stimulated emission from 2D-DFB in an InGaN-based nanocolumn array was obtained. The specific wavelength is calculated by the 2D finite-difference time domain (2D-FDTD) method on the assumption of a refractive index dispersion of GaN; a simple expression for specific wavelength, which is a function of the array period L and the hexagon side length S of each nanocolumn, is proposed, which is convenient for producing a simple design of a GaN nanocolumn array structure in a square lattice. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America