A semiconductor topological photonic ring resonator

• Published in: Applied physics letters Vol. 116; no. 6
• Main Authors: Jalali Mehrabad, M., Foster, A. P., Dost, R., Clarke, E., Patil, P. K., Farrer, I., Heffernan, J., Skolnick, M. S., Wilson, L. R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melville American Institute of Physics 10-02-2020
• Subjects: Applied physics; Chirality; Crystal lattices; Emitters; Indium gallium arsenides; Lattice parameters; Lattice vibration; Photonic crystals; Quantum dots; Resonators; Rings (mathematics); Topology
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.5131846

Unidirectional photonic edge states arise at the interface between two topologically distinct photonic crystals. Here, we demonstrate a micrometer-scale GaAs photonic ring resonator, created using a spin Hall-type topological photonic crystal waveguide. Embedded InGaAs quantum dots are used to probe the mode structure of the device. We map the spatial profile of the resonator modes and demonstrate the control of the mode confinement through tuning of the photonic crystal lattice parameters. The intrinsic chirality of the edge states makes them of interest for applications in integrated quantum photonics, and the resonator represents an important building block toward the development of such devices with embedded quantum emitters.