Microcavity Laser Oscillating in a Circuit-Based Resonator

Lasers based on microcavities are extremely attractive for their compactness, low power dissipation, and potential for ultrafast modulation speed. We describe an ultrasmall laser based on a subwavelength electronic inductor-capacitor (LC) resonant circuit that allows for extreme confinement of the electric field. This electrically injected laser operates at a frequency of 1.5 terahertz, and the mode volume is strongly subwavelength. The design concept of the LC resonator can be extended from the terahertz range to higher frequencies and also applied to detectors and modulators.