Operation of a semiconductor microcavity under electric excitation

Abstract

We present a microscopic theory for the description of the bias-controlled operation of an exciton-polariton-based heterostructure, in particular, the polariton laser. Combining together the Poisson equations for the scalar electric potential and Fermi quasi-energies of electrons and holes in a semiconductor heterostructure, the Boltzmann equation for the incoherent excitonic reservoir and the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for the exciton-polariton mean field, we simulate the dynamics of the system minimising the number of free parameters and build a theoretical threshold characteristic: number of particles vs applied bias. This approach, which also accounts for the nonlinear (exciton-exciton) interaction, particle lifetime, and which can, in principle, account for any relaxation mechanisms for the carriers of charge inside the heterostructure or polariton loss, allows to completely describe modern experiments on polariton transport and model devices. © 2016 Author(s)