Polarization-resolved far-field measurement of single-cell photonic crystal lasing modes

Abstract

This paper reports the unambiguous identification of lasing modes observed in a single-cell photonic crystal cavity using a solid angle scanning system. The polarization-resolved far-field measurements showed distinctive features of each mode and distinguished it from the other modes in contrast to conventional optical characterization methods. Monopole, quadrupole, and hexapole lasing modes were observed and identified, showing good agreement with numerical simulations. Our understanding of the lasing modes will be useful for determining practical applications as promising light sources in ultracompact photonic integrated circuits. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3595313]