Non-obstructive intracellular nanolasers.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30446665.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-07248-0 and PMC identifier 6240115.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Molecular dyes, plasmonic nanoparticles and colloidal quantum dots are widely used in biomedical optics. Their operation is usually governed by spontaneous processes, which results in broad spectral features and limited signal-to-noise ratio, thus restricting opportunities for spectral multiplexing and sensing. Lasers provide the ultimate spectral definition and background suppression, and their integration with cells has recently been demonstrated. However, laser size and threshold remain problematic. Here, we report on the design, high-throughput fabrication and intracellular integration of semiconductor nanodisk lasers. By exploiting the large optical gain and high refractive index of GaInP/AlGaInP quantum wells, we obtain lasers with volumes 1000-fold smaller than the eukaryotic nucleus (V<sub>laser</sub> < 0.1 µm<sup>3</sup>), lasing thresholds 500-fold below the pulse energies typically used in two-photon microscopy (E<sub>th</sub> ≈ 0.13 pJ), and excellent spectral stability (<50 pm wavelength shift). Multiplexed labeling with these lasers allows cell-tracking through micro-pores, thus providing a powerful tool to study cell migration and cancer invasion.
Medical subject headings
- Intracellular Space
- Lasers
- Nanostructures
- Nanotechnology