Strained V-groove quantum wires in multidimensional microcavities

Dense and uniform arrays of similar to 10 nm-size strained V-groove quantum wires (QWRs) were fabricated. The intense and narrow (5 meV) emission from the wires is strongly polarized along its axis. Distinct one dimensional p roperties are indicated by narrow (6 meV) subbands separated by over simila r to 20 meV, together with a remarkabely small Stokes shift (3 meV). Such Q WR arrays were successfully incorporated into high finesse Q similar to 300 0, wavelength size microcavities of different dimensionalities, i.e. planar microcavities, photon wires and photon boxes. Strong alteration of the wir e optical properties due to the cavity is observed in the spatial and spect ral domains. Increasingly rich photon mode structure for decreasing cavity dimensionalities is evidenced, leading to fully discretized and dispersionl ess modes in the photon box case. Those strained QWRs in microcavities are ideal candidates for the realization of advanced light sources combining st rain effects with multidimensional quantum confinement for both carriers an d photons. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.