Refractive index dispersion deduced from lasing modes in ZnO microtetrapods

High optical quality, well end leg faceted ZnO microtetrapods sustaining lasing modes with quality factors of 2500-3000 have been grown by carbothermal chemical vapor deposition. It is shown that lasing is due to longitudinal Fabry-Perot modes in individual tetrapod legs and the analysis of the wavelength position of these modes is an effective instrument for the investigation of temperature dependence of the refractive index dispersion in the region of exciton resonances. The dispersion of the ZnO refractive index is experimentally determined in the temperature interval from 10 to 300 K and is compared with available literature data. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3254222]