Unraveling the ultralow threshold stimulated emission from CdZnS/ZnS quantum dot and enabling high-Q microlasers

The newly engineered ternary CdZnS/ZnS colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are found to exhibit remarkably high photoluminescence quantum yield and excellent optical gain properties. However, the underlying mechanisms, which could offer the guidelines for devising CQDs for optimized photonic devices, remain undisclosed. In this work, through comprehensive steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy studies on a series of CdZnS-based CQDs, we unambiguously clarify that CdZnS-based CQDs are inherently superior optical gain media in the blue spectral range due to the slow Auger process and that the ultralow threshold stimulated emission is enabled by surface/interface engineering. Furthermore, external cavity-free high-Q quasitoroid microlasers were produced from self-assembly of CdZnS/ZnS CQDs by facile inkjet printing technique. Detailed spectroscopy analysis confirms the whispering gallery mode lasing mechanism of the quasitoroid microlasers. This tempting microlaser fabrication method should be applicable to other solution-processed gain materials, which could trigger broad research interests.