Controlling a microdisk laser by local refractive index perturbation
Abstract
We demonstrate a simple yet effective approach of controlling lasing in a semiconductor microdisk by photo-thermal effect. A continuous wave green laser beam, focused onto the microdisk perimeter, can enhance or suppress lasing in different cavity modes, depending on the position of the focused beam. Its main effect is a local modification of the refractive index of the disk, which results in an increase in the power slope of some lasing modes and a decrease of others. The boundary roughness breaks the rotational symmetry of a circular disk, allowing the lasing process to be tuned by varying the green beam position. Using the same approach, we can also fine tune the relative intensity of a quasi-degenerate pair of lasing modes. Such post-fabrication control, enabled by an additional laser beam, is flexible and reversible, thus enhancing the functionality of semiconductor microdisk lasers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.4940229
Entities
People
- Brandon Redding
- Glenn S. Solomon
- Hui Cao
- Li Ge
- Seng Fatt Liew
Organizations
- City University of New York
- Division of Materials Research
- Office of Naval Research
- University of Maryland
- Yale University