Polarization Control of Optical Bistability in Coupled Microdisks

ORAL

Abstract

Semiconductor microcavities are powerful systems both for the study of fundamental light-matter interactions and for applications in photonics. Microdisks composed of GaAs/(Al,GaAs) containing interface-fluctuation quantum dots for gain have been shown to offer low threshold lasing and cavity-induced electron spin coherence modulation\footnote{S. Ghosh et al. Nature Materials 5, 261 (2006).}. More recently, the control of lasing emission bistability by means of pump polarization was measured to occur under non-uniform illumination in elliptical microdisk pairs coupled evanescently along their semi-major axis \footnote{S. N. Ghosh, et al., submitted (2009).}. Hysteretic bistability is present when the pump light polarization is perpendicular to the evanescent coupling axis and disappears when the pump polarization is parallel to the coupling axis. This lasing bistability control is a unique functionality which may find use in optical logic devices.

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Authors

  • B.B. Buckley

    Center for Spintronics and Quantum Computation, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106

  • D.D. Awschalom

    Center for Spintronics and Quantum Computation, University of California, Santa Barbara CA 93106, Center for Spintronics and Quantum Computation, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, Department of Physics, UCSB, UCSB, Center for Spintronics and Quantum Computation, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

  • S.N. Ghosh

    School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95340

  • C.G.L. Ferri

    School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95340

  • Y.K. Verma

    School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95340

  • Sayantani Ghosh Ghosh

    School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95340, University of California Merced, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA, University of California, Merced

  • X. Li

    Materials Research Institute, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802

  • Nitin Samarth

    Dept. of Physics, Penn State University, University Park PA 16802, Center for Nanoscale Science and Materials Research Institute, Penn State University, University Park PA 16802, Dept. of Physics, Penn State University, University Park., Materials Research Institute, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, The Pennsylvania State University