Ridge Polariton Laser: Different from a Semiconductor Edge-Emitting Laser

We experimentally demonstrate the difference between a ridge polariton laser and a conventional edgeemitting ridge laser operating under electron-hole population inversion. The horizontal laser cavities are 20-60-mu m-long GaN etched-ridge structures with vertical Bragg reflectors. We investigate the laser threshold under optical pumping and assess quantitatively the effect of a varying optically pumped length. The laser effect is achieved for an exciton reservoir length of just 15% of the cavity length, which would not be possible in a conventional ridge laser, with an inversion-less polaritonic gain about 10 times larger than in equivalent GaN lasers. This combination of a very short injection section and a strong gain paves the way for compact microlasers with nonlinear functionalities for integrated photonics.

Automated summary

In this study, we experimentally demonstrate the difference between a ridge polariton laser and a conventional edge-emitting ridge laser operating under electron-hole population inversion. We find that the laser effect can be achieved in a ridge polariton laser with just 15% of the cavity length used as an exciton reservoir, whereas this would not be possible in a conventional ridge laser. We also observe that the polaritonic gain in the ridge polariton laser is about 10 times larger than that in equivalent GaN lasers.