ROLE OF WAVE-GUIDE LIGHT-EMISSION IN PLANAR MICROCAVITIES

The role of light emission into waveguide modes of planar microcavitie s is elucidated through the calculation of the emission characteristic s in various structures. Discrepancies which exist in the literature a re discussed in some detail for the most popular forms of half-wavelen gth and full-wavelength planar microcavities which make use of dielect ric Bragg reflectors. Particular emphasis is paid to the semiconductor AlGaAs/GaAs microcavities. Recent experiments on spontaneous lifetime changes in thin film semiconductor structures are also discussed. In addition, a SiO2/Si structure containing active atomic emitters is con sidered.