A New Optical Probe of Semiconductor Microcavities
Abstract
We have used spatially resolved edge photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy to characterize optically a GaAlAs microcavity embedded with GaAs quantum wells and clad with GaAlAs/AlAs mirrors. Because light emitted normal to the cavity originates in different layers of the structure, sometimes it is not easy to identify the various features of the PL spectra. By exciting and detecting the PL from the edge of the heterostructure with a scanning micro-spectrometer, we have been able to map the emission spectra along an axis perpendicular to the layers with a spatial resolution better than 1 μm. The spatially resolved spectra have revealed the location from where each PL feature originates. A comparison with the spectra that are excited and emitted normal to the cavity has allowed an unambiguous identification of the two branches of the exciton-cavity polariton.
- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 2000
- Bibcode:
- 2000APS..MARZ29002M