Room Temperature Lasing of InAs/GaAs Quantum Dots in the Whispering Gallery Modes of a Silica Microsphere

We have achieved low threshold lasing of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots coupled to the evanescent wave of the high-$Q$ whispering gallery modes of a silica microsphere. In spite of high temperature and $Q$-spoiling of whispering gallery modes due to diffusion and refraction on the high index semiconductor sample, room temperature lasing is obtained with less than 100 quantum dots. This result highlights the feasibility and interest of combining self-assembled quantum dots and microspheres in view of cavity-quantum electrodynamics experiments.