Electrodynamics and controlled spontaneous emission in semiconductor microcavity lasers

It is pointed out that controlled spontaneous emission has become a topic of interest and speculation concerning light emission from semiconductors. Recent experiments with GaAs-AlGaAs-InGaAs heterostructures show that such effects are indeed observable, but questions remain as to what role, if any, controlled spontaneous emission may play in current microcavity semiconductor lasers, and in future devices. The authors review the experimental work to date on controlling spontaneous emission in semiconductor microcavities, and present calculations on the microcavity effect on spontaneous emission. In particular, longitudinal cavity effects on the operation of the AlAs-GaAs-InGaAs microcavity Fabry-Perot laser are considered. Cavity enhancement of optical gain is shown to be an immediate benefit of the Fabry-Perot microcavity. The cavity enhancement has been shown to be substantial even for relatively low-contrast DBR (distributed Bragg reflector) mirrors such as occurs with the AlAs-GaAs material.<>