Leland Stanford Junior University

Dirk Englund

Ilya Fushman

Jelena Vuckovic

Andrei Faraon

Electrical control of the emitter of a coupled quantum emitter-resonant cavity structure is provided. Electrodes are disposed near a semiconductor quantum dot coupled to a semiconductor optical cavity such that varying an applied bias at the electrodes alters an electric field at the quantum dot. Optical input and output ports are coupled to the cavity, and an optical response of the device relates light emitted from the output port to light provided to the input port. Altering the applied bias at the electrodes is capable of altering the optical response. Preferably, the closest electrode to the cavity is disposed between or away from angular lobes of the cavity mode, to reduce loss caused by the proximity of electrode to cavity. The present approach is applicable to both waveguide-coupled devices and non-waveguide devices.

Ultrafast and ultralow threshold single emitter optical switch

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to optical microcavities and emitters that are spectrally aligned in an arrangement having an array of such microcavity-emitter combinations. The spectral alignment can be selective, in that a portion of the array of microcavity-emitter combinations, or a single microcavity-emitter combination, can be individually spectrally aligned. In specific examples, light is coupled within a semiconductor device having wavelength-dependent structures and optical cavities optically couple to the wavelength-dependent structures. One of the optical cavities and a wavelength-dependent structure are spectrally aligned, independent of another of the optical cavities.

Optical cavity emitter arrangements with spectral alignment and methods therefor

Optical microcavity arrangements and approaches facilitate a variety of applications. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, an optical microcavity arrangement includes a microcrystal structure having a plurality of optical cavities therein to facilitate the control of light. Emitters such as colloidal quantum dots are optically coupled to the optical cavities by attaching or otherwise arranging a material, which includes the emitters, to the optical microcavity arrangement. In many applications, the emitters couple photons of a wavelength in a range of wavelengths selectively passed by the optical cavities, and are amenable to operation at relatively high temperatures (e.g., at about room temperature or higher), which is useful for a variety of applications.

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Stanford, CA, United States of America

Dirk Englund