First electrically pumped polariton laser diode built from solution-processed perovskite

Researchers have demonstrated the first polariton laser diode driven by direct electrical current using a solution-processed perovskite, solving a 60-year challenge.

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A team from Skoltech, ITMO University, and HSE University has built the first polariton laser that operates under direct electrical pumping using a solution-processed halide perovskite. The work appears in Nature on July 29, 2026.

The device is constructed from a perovskite microplate grown in solution, fitted with thin-film carbon nanotube electrodes and placed inside a high-finesse optical cavity. A specialized two-stage cooling process creates a frozen p-i-n junction that controls ion movement. The laser reaches threshold at a current of 60 microamperes.

Anatoly Pushkarev, assistant professor at Skoltech, noted that achieving lasing with direct electrical injection in solution-processed materials has been a long-standing goal for six decades. He explained that carrier injection creates a very small light-emitting region at a defect near the end of a carbon nanotube bundle.

Stepan Baryshev, senior research scientist at Skoltech, said the team observed three clear signs of polariton condensation: a sudden jump in emission intensity, a reduction in spectral linewidth, and a shift of the lasing peak to higher energy above threshold.

Unlike conventional laser diodes that require expensive epitaxial growth, solution-processed perovskite microcavities can be made with simple chemistry. Polariton lasers operate at lower excitation densities than ordinary lasers, reducing power consumption and heat. Potential uses include low-power optical interconnects, compact on-chip light sources for sensing, and energy-efficient neuromorphic computing.