Saturation of normal-mode coupling in aluminum-oxide-aperture semiconductor nanocavities

The photon density required for the saturation of normal-mode coupling in oxide-apertured nanocavities is measured to be 90 photons/mum(2) by pump-probe experiments. The photon number is only 300 for a semiconductor nanocavity with a 2 mum diameter aluminum-oxide aperture, drastically reduced from 200 000 for a 50 mum waist on a planar microcavity. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.