Fabrication and Optical Properties of a Fully-Hybrid Epitaxial ZnO-Based Microcavity in the Strong-Coupling Regime

In order to achieve polariton lasing at room temperature, a new fabrication methodology for planar microcavities is proposed: a ZnO-based microcavity in which the active region is epitaxially grown on an AlGaN/AIN/Si substrate and in which two dielectric mirrors are used This approach allows us to simultaneously obtain a high-quality active layer together with a high photonic confinement as demonstrated through macro-, micro-photoluminescence (mu-PL) and reflectivity experiments. A quality factor of 675 and a maximum PL emission at k = 0 are evidenced thanks to mu-PL, revealing an efficient polaritonic relaxation even at low excitation power. (C) 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics