Fully guided electrically-controlled exciton polaritons

TL;DR

This paper presents two scalable, easy-to-fabricate waveguide structures that confine and guide exciton-polaritons with electrical control, enabling longer propagation and complex device designs.

Contribution

Introduction of two novel waveguide structures for exciton-polaritons that combine optical confinement, electrical control, and low-loss propagation.

Findings

Strong optical confinement increases polariton propagation distance.

Record-high propagation lengths of hundreds of microns achieved.

Electrical control integrated with optical guiding in scalable structures.

Abstract

We demonstrate two types of waveguide structures which optically confine exciton- polaritons in two dimensions and act as polaritonic channels. We show a strong optical confinement in an etched rectangular waveguide, that significantly increases the propa- gation distance of the polaritons and allow to direct them in curved trajectories. Also, we show low-loss optical guiding over a record-high of hundreds of microns which is com- bined seamlessly with electrical control of the polaritons, in a strip waveguide formed by electrically conductive and optically transparent strips deposited on top of a planar waveguide. Both structures are scalable and easy to fabricate and offer new possibilities for designing complex polaritonic devices.