Surface plasmons are widely interesting due to their ability to probe nanoscale dimensions. To create coherent plasmons, we demonstrate a nanolaser based on a plasmonic bandgap defect state inside a surface plasmonic crystal. A one-dimensional semiconductor-based plasmonic crystal is engineered to have stopbands in which surface plasmons are prohibited from travelling in the crystalline structure. We then confine surface plasmons using a three-hole defect in the periodic structure. Using

more »

... ional III-V semiconductors, we achieve lasing in mode volumes as small as V eff = 0.3(λ 0 /n) 3 at λ 0 = 1342 nm, which is 10 times smaller than similar modes in photonic crystals of the same size. This demonstration should pave the way for achieving engineered nanolasers with deepsubwavelength mode volumes and attractive nanophotonics integration capabilities while enabling the use of plasmonic crystals as an attractive platform for designing plasmons.