Three-dimensional trapping of light with light in semiconductor planar microcavities

Abstract

When light is confined in all three directions and in dimensions of the order of the light wavelength, discretization of the photon spectra and distinctive phenomena occur, the Purcell effect and the inhibition of emission of atoms being two paradigmatic examples. Diverse solid-state devices that confine light in all three dimensions have been developed and applied. Typically the confinement volume, operating wavelength, and quality factor of these resonators are set by construction, and small variations of these characteristics with external perturbations are targeted for applications including light modulation and control. Here we describe full three-dimensional light trapping, that is set and tuned by laser excitation in an all-optical scheme. The proposed device is based on a planar distributed Bragg reflector GaAs semiconductor microcavity operated at room temperature. Lateral confinement is generated by an in-plane gradient in the refractive index of the structure's materials due to localized heating, which is in turn induced by carriers photoexcited by a focused laser. Strong three-dimensional trapping of light is evidenced by the laser-induced changes on the spectral, spatial, and k-space distribution of the emission. The dynamics of the laser-induced photonic potential is studied using modulated optical excitation, highlighting the central role of thermal effects at the origin of the observed phenomena.