Fabrication and Optical Properties of a Fully Hybrid Epitaxial ZnO-Based Microcavity in the Strong Coupling Regime

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel fabrication method for a ZnO-based microcavity that achieves high-quality optical properties and strong coupling, enabling potential room-temperature polariton lasing.

Contribution

It introduces a new epitaxial growth technique for ZnO microcavities with dielectric mirrors, combining high-quality active layers and photonic confinement.

Findings

Achieved a quality factor of 675 in the microcavity.

Demonstrated efficient polaritonic relaxation at low excitation power.

Observed maximum photoluminescence emission at k=0.

Abstract

In order to achieve polariton lasing at room temperature, a new fabrication methodology for planar microcavities is proposed: a ZnO-based microcavity in which the active region is epitaxially grown on an AlGaN/AlN/Si substrate and in which two dielectric mirrors are used. This approach allows as to simultaneously obtain a high-quality active layer together with a high photonic confinement as demonstrated through macro-, and micro-photoluminescence ({\mu}-PL) and reflectivity experiments. A quality factor of 675 and a maximum PL emission at k=0 are evidenced thanks to {\mu}-PL, revealing an efficient polaritonic relaxation even at low excitation power.