Hybrid Confinement Techniques for Polariton Simulators.

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Quantum Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• III-V semiconductor microcavities are crucial for quantum simulation and topological photonics.
• Traditional fabrication methods face limitations in achieving precise photonic confinement.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce novel fabrication techniques: etch-and-oversputter and deposit-and-oversputter.
• Overcome limitations in photonic confinement for advanced photonic functionalities.
• Enable emulation of complex Hamiltonians for quantum simulation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized structured, locally elongated semiconductor cavities for deep, controllable potentials.
• Employed high-quality GaAs-based materials for excellent Q-factors.
• Integrated a sputtered all-dielectric top mirror, a hybrid fabrication approach.

Main Results:

• Achieved high-quality optical band structures in Kagome lattices, surpassing deep etching.
• Demonstrated polariton lasing from a zero-dimensional corner mode in a breathing Kagome lattice.
• Confirmed precise control over couplings and tight polariton localization.

Conclusions:

• These methods facilitate the fabrication of intricate lattices, including higher-order topological insulators.
• Enable on-chip quantum regimes via the polariton blockade mechanism.
• Offer a robust platform for advanced photonic functionalities and quantum simulation.