CALCULATION OF LIFETIME DEPENDENCE OF ER3-WAVE AND FULL-WAVE MICROCAVITIES( ON CAVITY LENGTH IN DIELECTRIC HALF)

Angular spontaneous emission rates and lifetimes of Er3+ in Si/SiO2 Mi crocavities are calculated for cavity lengths close to full and half-w avelengths. For a half-wavelength cavity, the calculations show that t he spontaneous lifetime is sensitive to the variation of cavity length , and agrees very well with the experimental data measured by Vredenbe rg, Hunt, Schubert, Jacobson, Poate, and Zydzik [Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 517 (1993)]. This variation comes from a coupling rate change into the cavity normal. For a full wavelength cavity, the lifetime is less sen sitive to cavity length due to strong coupling of spontaneous emission to a fundamental waveguide mode.