  Semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes (s-SWNTs) have proved to be
promising material for nanophotonics and optoelectronics. Due to the
possibility of tuning their direct band gap and controlling excitonic
recombinations in the near-infrared wavelength range, s-SWNT can be used as
efficient light emitters. We report the first experimental demonstration of
room temperature intrinsic optical gain as high as 190 cm-1 at a wavelength of
1.3 {\mu}m in a thin film doped with s-SWNT. These results constitute a
significant milestone toward the development of laser sources based on carbon
nanotubes for future high performance integrated circuits.
