Selectively grown quantum well active layer in a photonic crystal optical microcavity

Photonic crystal microcavity devices containing InGaAs active layers grown on GaAs substrates have demonstrated poor performance largely because of rapid, non-radiative recombination at the air-InGaAs interface formed during the fabrication of the photonic crystal slab. We have used selective area epitaxial regrowth of the quantum well active layer to localize it to the defect of the photonic crystal structure. The fabrication process is described and the potential application to resonant photonic crystal devices is discussed.