Metal nanocavity-based lasers show promise for dense integration in nanophotonic devices, thanks to their compact size and lack of crosstalk. Thermal considerations in these devices have been largely overlooked in design, despite the importance of self-heating and heat dissipation to device performance. We discuss the sources of self-heating in electrically-pumped wavelength-scale nanolasers, and the incorporation of these heat sources into a heat dissipation model to calculate laser operating temperature. We apply this thermal model to an example electrically-pumped nanolaser operating at room temperature. © 2014 SPIE.8980 The Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)Lee, J.H., Khajavikhan, M., Simic, A., Gu, Q., Bondarenko, O., Slutsky, B., Nezhad, M.P., Fainman, Y., Electrically pumped sub-wavelength metallo-dielectric pedestal pillar lasers (2011) Optics Express, 19, pp. 21524-21531. , OctDing, K., Ning, C.Z., Fabrication challenges of electrical injection metallic cavity semiconductor nanolasers (2013) Semiconductor Science and Technology, 28, p. 124002. , NovHill, M.T., Oei, Y.-S., Smalbrugge, B., Zhu, Y., De Vries, T., Van Veldhoven, P.J., Van Otten, F.W.M., Smit, M.K., Lasing in metallic-coated nanocavities (2007) Nature Photonics, 1, pp. 589-594. , SeptNezhad, M.P., Simic, A., Bondarenko, O., Slutsky, B., Mizrahi, A., Feng, L., Lomakin, V., Fainman, Y., Room-temperature subwavelength metallo-dielectric lasers (2010) Nature Photonics, 4, pp. 395-399. , AprKhajavikhan, M., Simic, A., Katz, M., Lee, J.H., Slutsky, B., Mizrahi, A., Lomakin, V., Fainman, Y., Thresholdless nanoscale coaxial lasers (2012) Nature, 482, pp. 204-207. , JanGu, Q., Slutsky, B., Vallini, F., Smalley, J.S.T., Nezhad, M.P., Frateschi, N.C., Fainman, Y., Purcell effect in sub-wavelength semiconductor lasers (2013) Optics Express, 21 (13), p. 15603Ning, C.Z., What is Laser Threshold (2013) IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, 19, pp. 1503604-1503604. , MayHess, O., Pendry, J.B., Maier, S.A., Oulton, R.F., Hamm, J.M., Tsakmakidis, K.L., Active nanoplasmonic metamaterials (2012) Nature Materials, 11, pp. 573-584. , JulyDing, K., Hill, M.T., Liu, Z.C., Yin, L.J., Van Veldhoven, P.J., Ning, C.Z., Record performance of electrical injection sub-wavelength metallic-cavity semiconductor lasers at room temperature (2013) Optics Express, 21 (4), pp. 4728-4733Hobson, W.S., Mohideen, U., Pearton, S.J., Slusher, R.E., Ren, F., SiN x/sulphide passivated GaAs/AlGaAs microdisk lasers (1993) Electronics Letters, 29 (25), pp. 2199-2200Ding, K., Ning, C.Z., Metallic subwavelength-cavity semiconductor nanolasers (2012) Light: Science & Applications, 1, pp. e20. , JulyNing, C.Z., Indik, R.A., Moloney, J.V., Self-consistent approach to thermal effects in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (1995) JOSA B, 12 (10), pp. 1993-2004Smalley, J.S.T., Gu, Q., Fainman, Y., Temperature dependence of the spontaneous emission factor in subwavelength semiconductor lasers (2014) IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 50, pp. 175-185. , MarYu, S.F., (2003), Analysis and design of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, Wiley - VCH, JanSchmidt, N.M., Goldberg, Y.A., (1996) Handbook Series on Semiconductor Parameters Volume 2: Ternary and Quaternary III-V Compounds, 2. , Handbook Series on Semiconductor Parameters, World Scientific, London, JanSchmidt, N.M., Goldberg, Y.A., (1996) Handbook Series on Semiconductor Parameters Volume 1: Si, Ge, C (Diamond), GaAs, GaP, GaSb, InAs, InP, InSb, 1. , Handbook Series on Semiconductor Parameters, World Scientific, London, JanZhang, P., Lau, Y.Y., Tang, W., Gomez, M.R., French, D.M., Zier, J.C., Gilgenbach, R.M., Contact resistance with dissimilar materials: Bulk contacts and thin film contacts (2011) Electrical Contacts (Holm) 2011 IEEE 57th Holm Conference, pp. 1-6. , IEEE, SeptAgrawal, G.P., Dutta, N.K., (1993) Semiconductor Lasers, , Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, JanYoneoka, S., Lee, J., Liger, M., Yama, G., Kodama, T., Gunji, M., Provine, J., Kenny, T.W., Electrical and Thermal Conduction in Atomic Layer Deposition Nanobridges Down to 7 nm Thickness (2012) Nano Lett, 12, pp. 683-686. , FebWank, J.R., George, S.M., Weimer, A.W., Nanocoating individual cohesive boron nitride particles in a fluidized bed by ALD (2004) Powder Technology, 142, pp. 59-69. , AprDörre, E., Hübner, H., (1984) Alumina: Processing, Properties, and Applications, , Springer-Verlag, Berlin, JanKleiner, M.B., Kuhn, S.A., Weber, W., Thermal conductivity measurements of thin silicon dioxide films in integrated circuits (1996) Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on, 43 (9), pp. 1602-1609Adachi, S., (1992) Physical Properties of III-V Semiconductor Compounds, , John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Mörlenbach, JanLange, N.A., (1999) Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, , McGraw-Hill Professional 15 ed., JanAndersson, S., Dzhavadov, L., Thermal conductivity and heat capacity of amorphous SiO2: Pressure and volume dependence (1992) Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 4 (29), p. 6209Lide, D.R., (2003) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, CRC Press 84 Ed., , JuneBassous, E., Fabrication of novel three-dimensional microstructures by the anisotropic etching of (100) and (110) silicon (1978) IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 25, pp. 1178-1185. , OctCahill, D.G., Thermal conductivity measurement from 30 to 750 K: The 3 method (1990) Review of Scientific Instruments, 6 (12), p. 802Cahill, D.G., Katiyar, M., Abelson, J.R., Thermal conductivity of alpha-Si:H thin films (1994) Physical Review B, 50 (9), p. 6077Borca-Tasciuc, T., Kumar, A.R., Chen, G., Data reduction in 3 method for thin-film thermal conductivity determination (2001) Review of Scientific Instruments, 72 (4), p. 2139Wang, R.Y., Segalman, R.A., Majumdar, A., Room temperature thermal conductance of alkanedithiol self-assembled monolayers (2006) Applied Physics Letters, 89 (17), p. 173113Majumdar, A., Scanning thermal microscopy (1999) Annual Review of Materials Science, 29 (1), pp. 505-585Kim, K., Jeong, W., Lee, W., Reddy, P., Ultra-high vacuum scanning thermalmicroscopy for nanometer resolution quantitative thermometry (2012) ACS Nano, 6, pp. 4248-4257. , MayShen, S., Henry, A., Tong, J., Zheng, R., Chen, G., Polyethylene nanofibres with very high thermal conductivities (2010) Nature Nanotechnology, pp. 1-5. , MarLiu, Z., Shainline, J.M., Fernandes, G.E., Xu, J., Chen, J., Gmachl, C.F., Continuous-wave subwavelength microdisk lasers at λ = 1.53?m (2010) Optics Express, 18, pp. 19242-19248. , AugLuo, T., Chen, G., Nanoscale heat transfer - From computation to experiment (2013) Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 15 (10), pp. 3389-3412