1.College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Taishan University, 271021 Taian, China
2.Key Laboratory of In-fiber Integrated Optics of Ministry of Education, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, 150001 Harbin, China
3.School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
4.State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Laser Materials and Applied Techniques, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, 510640 Guangzhou, China
Jing Ren (ren.jing@hrbeu.edu.cn)
Guoping Dong (dgp@scut.edu.cn)
Received:25 June 2024,
Revised:20 October 2024,
Accepted:2024-10-24,
Published Online:02 January 2025,
Published:31 March 2025
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Gao, Z. G. et al. Robust low threshold full-color upconversion lasing in rare-earth activated nanocrystal-in-glass microcavity. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 656-664 (2025).
Gao, Z. G. et al. Robust low threshold full-color upconversion lasing in rare-earth activated nanocrystal-in-glass microcavity. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 656-664 (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41377-024-01671-3.
Visible light microlasers are essential building blocks for integrated photonics. However
achieving low-threshold (μW)
continuous-wave (CW) visible light lasing at
room temperature (RT) has been a challenge because of the formidable requirement of population inversion at short wavelengths. Rare-earth (RE)-activated microcavities
featuring high-quality factor (
Q
) and small mode volume of whispering gallery modes
offer a great opportunity for achieving infrared-to-visible upconversion (UC) lasing. Here
we report that batch-produced nano-glass composite (GC) microspheres incorporating RE-doped fluoride nanocrystals show efficient UC emissions. These multi-phase composite microspheres exhibit a high
Q
value (≥10
5
)
comparable to that of conventional multi-component glass microspheres. The UC lasing with pure red
green
and blue (RGB) emissions are demonstrated based on a highly efficient tapered fiber-microsphere system. More importantly
the GC microspheres manifest reduced (by 45%) lasing threshold and enhanced (more than four times) slope efficiency. These characteristics
together with excellent long-term stability
suggest a promising solution to achieving highly robust
stand-alone
low-threshold
and versatile UC microlasers.
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