Spasers, VCSELs, and Surface plasmon emitting diodes (SPED): their unique features and figures of merit

We compare fundamental characteristics of proposed electrically pumped subwavelength plasmonic lasers (spasers) with ubiquitous all-dielectric semiconductor micro-lasers (VCSEL) and indicate their close similarities as well as large differences in performance (threshold, efficiency, coherence and speed). These results should assist researchers in making informed choice of the emitter for each particular opto-electronic application.