QUANTUM MICROCAVITIES IN II-VI SEMICONDUCTORS - STRONG-COUPLING REGIME IN VERTICAL-CAVITY LASERS

Enhanced light-matter coupling effects are striking in II-VI quantum w ell microresonators, with the normal mode (Rabi) splitting exceeding 1 0 meV per quantum well at the exciton resonance in ZnSe-based heterost ructures. Such a dominating imprint of the mixed exciton-photon modes extends to high electron-hole pair densities, including the regime of vertical cavity laser operation. We present results from gain spectros copy to show how the composite photon-exciton oscillator supplies opti cal gain for a laser operating beyond the conventional perturbative re gime. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.