Nanowire photonics

Semiconductor nanowires, by definition, typically have cross-sectional dimensions that can be tuned from 2-200 nm, with lengths spanning from hundreds of nanometres to millimetres. These subwavelength structures represent a new class of semiconductor materials for investigating light generation, propagation, detection, amplification and modulation. After more than a decade of research, nanowires can now be synthesized and assembled with specific compositions, heterojunctions and architectures. This has led to a host of nanowire photonic devices including photodetectors, chemical and gas sensors, waveguides, LEDs, microcavity lasers, solar cells and nonlinear optical converters. A fully integrated photonic platform using nanowire building blocks promises advanced functionalities at dimensions compatible with on-chip technologies.