Abstract

Lasers with cavities with dimensions of the order of a wavelength will have such a large free-spectral range that they con only emit radiation into s single longitudinal mode only. By careful design, we can direct most of the emitted radiation into a single transverse mode. This is in sharp contrast to conventional lasers, which emit only one out of 10⁴−10⁵ spontaneous photons into the lasing mode. The high spontaneous emission efficiency of microcavity lasers may reduce the threshold current by several orders of magnitude from present devices. In this presentation we will clarify the conditions that must be met in order to do so. Also, a fundamental limit to lifetime shortening will be offered, and a novel, high-speed modulation technique for microcavity light emitting diodes will be presented.

© 1991 Optical Society of America