AlGaAs Microdisk Research Articles

Frequency doubling and parametric fluorescence in a four-port aluminum gallium arsenide photonic chip.

In this Letter, we report on the fabrication and characterization of a monolithic III-V semiconductor photonic chip, designed to perform nonlinear parametric optical processes for frequency conversion and non-classical state generation. This chip co-integrates an AlGaAs microdisk that is evanescently coupled to two distinct suspended waveguides designed for light injection and collection around 1600 nm and 800 nm, respectively. Quasi-phase matching provided by the resonator geometry and material symmetry, resonant field enhancement, and confinement ensure efficient nonlinear interactions. We demonstrate second-harmonic generation efficiency of 5%W-1 and a biphoton generation rate of 1.2 kHz/µW through spontaneous down-conversion.

Hybrid integration of an evanescently coupled AlGaAs microdisk resonator with a silicon waveguide by nanoscale-accuracy transfer printing.

Hybrid integration of a III-V microdisk resonator on a silicon-on-insulator waveguide platform is demonstrated. Transfer printing with nanoscale accuracy is used to micro-assemble an evanescently coupled all-pass microdisk resonator with a targeted coupler gap of 100nm using pre-fabricated AlGaAs and silicon components. Transmission measurements show hybrid resonances with a loaded Q-factor of 7×103 and a cavity finesse of over 100.

AlGaAs microdisk cavities for second-harmonic generation

We report on the design, the fabrication, and the optical characterization of AlGaAs microdisks suspended on a GaAs pedestal, conceived for second-harmonic generation with a pump in the third telecom window. We discuss the results concerning the linear characterization of whispering gallery modes at fundamental and second-harmonic wavelengths, an essential step prior to the investigation of quasi-phase-matched processes in this type of microcavity.

Traceable 2-D Finite-Element Simulation of the Whispering-Gallery Modes of Axisymmetric Electromagnetic Resonators

This paper explains how a popular commercially available software package for solving partial-differential-equations (PDEs), as based on the finite-element method, can be configured to efficiently calculate the frequencies and fields of the whispering-gallery (WG) modes of axisymmetric dielectric resonators. The approach is traceable; it exploits the PDE-solver's ability to accept the definition of solutions to Maxwell's equations in so-called weak form. Associated expressions and methods for estimating a WG mode's volume, filling factor(s), and in the case of closed (open) resonators, its wall (radiation) loss, are provided. As no transverse approximation is imposed, the approach remains accurate even for quasi-transverse-magnetic/electric modes of low finite azimuthal mode order. The approach's generality and utility are demonstrated by modeling several nontrivial structures, i.e., 1) two different optical microcavities (one toroidal made of silica, the other an AlGaAs microdisk), 2) a third-order sapphire:air Bragg cavity, and 3) two different cryogenic sapphire WG-mode resonators; both 2) and 3) operate in the microwave X-band. By fitting one of 3) to a set of measured resonance frequencies, the dielectric constants of sapphire at liquid-helium temperature have been estimated.

Mode coupling and cavity–quantum-dot interactions in a fiber-coupled microdisk cavity

A quantum master equation model for the interaction between a two-level system and whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) of a microdisk cavity is presented, with specific attention paid to current experiments involving a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) embedded in a fiber-coupled, AlGaAs microdisk cavity. In standard single mode cavity QED, three important rates characterize the system: the QD-cavity coupling rate g, the cavity decay rate kappa, and the QD dephasing rate gamma_perpendicular. A more accurate model of the microdisk cavity includes two additional features. The first is a second cavity mode that can couple to the QD, which for an ideal microdisk corresponds to a traveling wave WGM propagating counter to the first WGM. The second feature is a coupling between these two traveling wave WGMs, at a rate beta, due to backscattering caused by surface roughness that is present in fabricated devices. We consider the transmitted and reflected signals from the cavity for different parameter regimes of {g,beta,kappa,gamma_perpendicular}. A result of this analysis is that even in the presence of negligible roughness induced backscattering, a strongly coupled QD mediates coupling between the traveling wave WGMs, resulting in an enhanced effective coherent coupling rate g = sqrt(2)*g0 corresponding to that of a standing wave WGM with an electric field maximum at the position of the QD. In addition, analysis of the second-order correlation function of the reflected signal from the cavity indicates that regions of strong photon antibunching or bunching may be present depending upon the strength of coupling of the QD to each of the cavity modes. Such intensity correlation information will likely be valuable in interpreting experimental measurements of a strongly-coupled QD to a bi-modal WGM cavity.

Optical fiber taper coupling and high-resolution wavelength tuning of microdisk resonators at cryogenic temperatures

A system for studying microcavity resonators at cryogenic temperatures (∼10K) through evanescent coupling via optical fiber taper waveguides is reported, and efficient fiber coupling to AlGaAs microdisk cavities with embedded quantum dots is demonstrated. As an immediate application of this tool, the authors study high-resolution tuning of microdisk cavities through nitrogen gas adsorption, as first discussed by Mosor et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 87, 141105 (2005)]. By proper regulation of the nitrogen gas flow and delivery of the gas to the sample surface, continuous tuning can be achieved with modest gas flows, and overall wavelength shifts as large as 4nm are achieved.

Photoluminescence measurements of quantum-dot-containing semiconductor microdisk resonators using optical fiber taper waveguides

Fiber taper waveguides are used to improve the efficiency of room temperature photoluminescence measurements of AlGaAs microdisk resonant cavities with embedded self-assembled InAs quantum dots. As a near-field collection optic, the fiber taper improves the collection efficiency from microdisk lasers by a factor of ~ 15-100 times in comparison to conventional normal incidence free-space collection techniques. In addition, the fiber taper can serve as a efficient means for pumping these devices, and initial measurements employing fiber pumping and collection are presented. Implications of this work towards chip-based cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments are discussed.

Optical loss and lasing characteristics of high-quality-factor AlGaAs microdisk resonators with embedded quantum dots

Optical characterization of AlGaAs microdisk resonant cavities with a quantum dot active region is presented. Direct passive measurement of the optical loss within AlGaAs microdisk resonant structures embedded with InAs∕InGaAs dots-in-a-well (DWELL) is performed using an optical-fiber-based probing technique at a wavelength (λ∼1.4μm) that is red detuned from the dot emission wavelength (λ∼1.2μm). Measurements in the 1.4μm wavelength band on microdisks of diameter D=4.5μm show that these structures support modes with cold-cavity quality factors as high as 3.6×105. DWELL-containing microdisks are then studied through optical pumping at room temperature. Pulsed lasing at λ∼1.2μm is seen for cavities containing a single layer of InAs dots, with threshold values of ∼17μW, approaching the estimated material transparency level. Room-temperature continuous-wave operation is also observed.