Role of waveguide light emission in planar microcavities

The role of light emission into waveguide modes of planar microcavities is elucidated through the calculation of the emission characteristics in various structures. Discrepancies which exist in the literature are discussed in some detail for the most popular forms of half-wavelength and full-wavelength planar microcavities which make use of dielectric Bragg reflectors. Particular emphasis is paid to the semiconductor AlGaAs/GaAs microcavities. Recent experiments on spontaneous lifetime changes in thin film semiconductor structures are also discussed. In addition, a SiO/sub 2//Si structure containing active atomic emitters is considered.<
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