Manipulation of exciton and photon lasing in a membrane-type ZnO microcavity

We report on the fabrication and characterization of a membrane-type ZnO microcavity (MC). The ZnO membrane was cut from a single crystalline ZnO substrate by using focused ion beam milling, and was then placed onto a SiO₂ substrate by using glass microtweezers. Through changing the pumping regime, manipulation of P-band exciton lasing and whispering-gallery mode (WGM) photon lasing could be easily achieved. P-band exciton lasing was observed only when the pumping laser was focused at the center of the ZnO MC with a small pumping size because of the innate ring-shaped WGM distribution. Furthermore, the lasing threshold of the ZnO MC could be reduced to an order lower by using a larger pumping spot because of the more favorable spatial overlap between the optical gain and WGM.