Semiconductor microcavity as a spin-dependent optoelectronic device

Shelykh, I. A.; Kavokin, K. V.; Kavokin, Alexey; Malpuech, Guillaume; Bigenwald, Pierre; Deng, Hui; Weihs, Gregor; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

doi:10.1103/physrevb.70.035320

Cited by 75 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…All these works, however, ignored the polarization of cavity modes. Recent experiments have shown that the energy relaxation of polaritons is polarization-dependent [13] and that spin-dynamics in microcavities is extremely rich and complicated [14,15].…”

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confidence: 99%

Effects of Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons in microcavities on the polarization of emitted light

et al. 2006

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confidence: 99%

Effects of Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons in microcavities on the polarization of emitted light

et al. 2006

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“…1 This principle has a striking analogy in optics, where the attenuation of light passing through crossed polarizes also leads to information processing devices such as spatial light modulators based on liquid crystals. 2 Indeed analogies between spintronics and optics led to the emerging field of spinoptronics, 3 aiming to exploit a hybridization of the different fields.…”

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confidence: 99%

Spin selective filtering of polariton condensate flow

Gao

Antón

Liew

et al. 2015

Applied Physics Letters

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Spin-selective spatial filtering of propagating polariton condensates, using a controllable spin-dependent gating barrier, in a one-dimensional semiconductor microcavity ridge waveguide is reported. A nonresonant laser beam provides the source of propagating polaritons, while a second circularly polarized weak beam imprints a spin dependent potential barrier, which gates the polariton flow and generates polariton spin currents. A complete spin-based control over the blocked and transmitted polaritons is obtained by varying the gate polarization. The generation of spin currents from the passage of electrons through ferromagnets is an important building-block for spintronic devices. For example, magnetic random access memory has developed from the spin valve concept, in which the current through a pair of ferromagnets is strongly attenuated when the magnets have opposite orientations. 1 This principle has a striking analogy in optics, where the attenuation of light passing through crossed polarizes also leads to information processing devices such as spatial light modulators based on liquid crystals. 2 Indeed analogies between spintronics and optics led to the emerging field of spinoptronics, 3 aiming to exploit a hybridization of the different fields.This hybridization is well illustrated by semiconductor microcavities in the strong coupling regime, which have become a promising basis for all-optical devices and circuits. [4][5][6][7][8] The strong coupling regime gives rise to excitonpolaritons (for simplicity, polaritons), whose light mass and integer spin facilitates condensation at elevated temperatures. 9,10 The excitonic fraction leads to strong carrier-carrier interactions 11 and sensitivity to gating electromagnetic fields. 12 At the same time, the photonic fraction allows the spin state of the polariton to be directly imprinted onto the polarization of the emitted light. An advantage over conventional spintronic devices is that, being neutral particles, polaritons do not experience strong dephasing due to Coulomb scattering and the coherent propagation of spin currents can be achieved over hundreds of microns. 13 Optically controlled carrier-carrier interactions in strongly coupled semiconductor microcavities have been shown to be a highly effective tool in the engineering of polaritons' energy landscapes, 14 for both the study of polariton condensate phenomena [15][16][17][18] and the realization of nascent polariton devices. [19][20][21][22][23][24] The interaction strength is spin dependent; 25-27 excitons with parallel spins experience a repulsive force, while the interaction between excitons with anti-parallel spin is weaker and can be attractive in nature. 28 In this work, we show that these anisotropic interactions allow the construction of a photonic analogue of current spin polarization as in a ferromagnet. Namely, we demonstrate spin polarization control of a polariton condensate signal using an optical gate in a high-finesse microcavity ridge. A schematic of the device is shown in Fig. 1(a)

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“…Excitonic-based circuits have been proposed 2 and demonstrated. 3 Exciton-polaritons, due to their mixed light-matter nature and their optical nonlinearities, are even more suitable to create optical amplifiers, [4][5][6] optical gates, 7,8 transistors, 9,10 spin-switches, [11][12][13][14][15] and circuits. 16 Further functionalities can be achieved creating polariton condensates and reducing the dimensionality by patterning the microcavities.…”

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Dynamics of a polariton condensate transistor switch

Antón

Liew

Tosi

et al. 2012

Applied Physics Letters

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We present a time-resolved study of the logical operation of a polariton condensate transistor switch. Creating a polariton condensate (source) in a GaAs ridge-shaped microcavity with a non-resonant pulsed laser beam, the polariton propagation towards a collector, at the ridge edge, is controlled by a second weak pulse (gate), located between the source and the collector. The experimental results are interpreted in the light of simulations based on the generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation, including incoherent pumping, decay, and energy relaxation within the condensate. 16 Further functionalities can be achieved creating polariton condensates and reducing the dimensionality by patterning the microcavities. Propagation of such condensates over macroscopic distances has been achieved in wire microcavities with very long polariton lifetimes. 17 The condensates can be conveniently manipulated using repulsive local potentials created by photogeneration of excitons. 18 Large band-width amplification of polariton condensates under non-resonant excitation has been proven by a proper location of the laser excitation spot to create a condensate close to the edge of a 1D microwire. 19 In these systems, thanks to their superfluid character, one can benefit from high lateral speed of propagation and ballistic transport without energy loss.Using wider microwire ridges, a polariton condensate transistor switch has been realised through optical excitation with two beams. 9 One of the beams creates a polariton condensate which serves as a source (S) of polaritons. Their propagation is gated using a second weaker gate beam (G) that controls the polariton flow by creating a local blueshifted barrier. The ON state of the transistor (no G) corresponds to forming a trapped condensate at the edge of the ridge (collector, C). The presence of G hinders the propagation of polaritons towards C, remaining blocked between S and G (OFF state). In this letter, we present a time-resolved study that provides a complete insight of the energy relaxation and dynamics of the condensed polariton propagation for the ON/OFF states of such a transistor switch. Our experiments are compared with a theoretical description of the polariton condensate transistor based on the generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation, modified to account for incoherent pumping, decay, and energy relaxation within the condensate.We investigate a high-quality 5k/2 AlGaAs-based microcavity with a Rabi splitting X R ¼ 9 meV. Ridges have been sculpted through reactive ion etching with dimensions 20 Â 300 lm 2 (further information about this sample is given in Refs. 20 and 21). In our samples, lateral confinement is insignificant compared to the aforementioned, much thinner, 1D polariton wires. 17,19 The sample, mounted in a coldfinger cryostat and kept at 10 K, is excited with 2 ps-long light pulses from a Ti:Al 2 O 3 laser, tuned to the first highenergy Bragg mode of the distributed Bragg reflector (1.612 eV). The chosen ridge is in a region of the sample corresponding to resonanc...

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Semiconductor microcavity as a spin-dependent optoelectronic device

Cited by 75 publications

References 16 publications

Effects of Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons in microcavities on the polarization of emitted light

Effects of Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons in microcavities on the polarization of emitted light

Spin selective filtering of polariton condensate flow

Dynamics of a polariton condensate transistor switch

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