Photonic crystal microcavities for cavity quantum electrodynamics with a single quantum dot

We propose a planar photonic crystal microcavity design specially tailored for cavity quantum electrodynamics with a single quantum dot emitter embedded in semiconductor. With quality factor up to 45 000, mode volume smaller than a cubic optical wavelength in material, and electric field maximum located in the high-refractive index region at the cavity center, this design can enable both strong coupling and lasing with a single quantum dot exciton. The achievable range of the quality factor to mode volume ratios and the feasible fabrication of the proposed structure make it favorable to other semiconductor microcavities. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.