Origin of optical gain in narrow ZnO microrods with whispering gallery modes

Due to sufficiently high lasing thresholds, stimulated emission in relatively small ZnO microcrystal lasers is often considered to be fed by an inverted electron–hole plasma (EHP). In this study, the nature of optical gain in such emitters is investigated using ZnO microrods 1–6 $\mu$m in diameter synthesized by a modified thermal evaporation method and exhibiting whispering-gallery mode (WGM) lasing in the near ultraviolet range. It is demonstrated that optical gain in these objects is not a consequence of population inversion of the EHP at either low or room temperatures. Instead, the primary gain mechanism is the process of scattering of electron–hole pairs by free electrons. Unlike the case of large ZnO WGM microcavities, in small-diameter microrods this process turns out to be dominant over a wide temperature range.