Directional and dynamic modulation of the optical emission of an individual GaAs nanowire using surface acoustic waves

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the dynamic control of optical emission in individual GaAs nanowires using surface acoustic waves, revealing directional effects and modulation at hundreds of megahertz.

Contribution

It introduces a method to modulate nanowire emission using surface acoustic waves with directional dependence and high-frequency control.

Findings

Emission suppression depends on SAW propagation direction.

Dynamic modulation of emission up to 678 MHz achieved.

Surface acoustic waves influence nanowire emission characteristics.

Abstract

We report on optical experiments performed on individual GaAs nanowires and the ma- nipulation of their temporal emission characteristics using a surface acoustic wave. We find a pronounced, characteristic suppression of the emission intensity for the surface acoustic wave propagation aligned with the axis of the nanowire. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this quenching is dynamical as it shows a pronounced modulation as the local phase of the surface acoustic wave is tuned. These effects are strongly reduced for a SAW applied in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the nanowire due to their inherent one-dimensional geometry. We resolve a fully dynamic modulation of the nanowire emission up to 678 MHz not limited by the physical properties of the nanowires.