Abstract
Strain tuning emerged as an appealing tool to tune fundamental optical properties of solid state quantum emitters. In particular, the wavelength and fine structure of quantum dot states could be tuned using hybrid semiconductor-piezoelectric devices. Here, we show how an applied external stress can directly impact the polarization properties of coupled InAs quantum dot-micropillar cavity systems. In our experiment, we find that we can reversibly tune the anisotropic polarization splitting of the fundamental microcavity mode by approximately 60 $\mu\text{eV}$. We discuss the origin of this tuning mechanism, which arises from an interplay between elastic deformation and the photoelastic effect in our micropillar. Finally, we exploit this effect to tune the quantum dot polarization opto-mechanically via the polarization-anisotropic Purcell effect. Our work paves the way for optomechanical and reversible tuning of the polarization and spin properties of light-matter coupled solid state systems.
Highlights
Micropillar cavities are a widely used design implementation of high-performance solid-state single-photon sources [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8], microlasers operating in the weak [9,10] and strong coupling regime [11,12], and non-linear photonic crystal lattices [13,14]
The tuning behavior can be understood as a consequence of anisotropic external strain transmitted to the micropillar that is acting on its shape as well as on the material’s birefringence
Reconfigurable shaping of ellipticity and birefringence of a micropillar cavity device is an important step towards achieving the control over the polarization properties of coupled quantum dot (QD)-cavity systems
Summary
Micropillar cavities are a widely used design implementation of high-performance solid-state single-photon sources [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8], microlasers operating in the weak [9,10] and strong coupling regime [11,12], and non-linear photonic crystal lattices [13,14]. By making use of the Purcell effect, it is possible to significantly improve the QD performance [15,16], through enabling efficient collection of single photons with near unity indistinguishability [17,18,19] Deterministic fabrication of such micropillar devices yields great improvements in the spatial and spectral alignment of the cavity and the QD [20,21]. We report on tuning of the polarization of the cavity’s fundamental optical mode by anisotropic strain, and discuss how the extrinsic stress impacts the photonic resonance of the micropillar This new tuning mechanism directly enables us to shape the polarization of a QD in the weak cavity coupling regime, taking advantage of the Purcell effect. We provide insights into the physics of our mechanically tunable light-matter-coupled system, and propose a variety of possible applications achievable with our platform
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