Circularly Polarized Laser Emission from an Electrically Pumped Chiral Microcavity

The authors demonstrate a prototype of an electrically injected, circularly polarized near-infrared laser based on a specifically engineered chiral microcavity. Importantly, the high degree of polarization of the emitted coherent beam is determined by the chirality of the imprinted structure, which is based on an optical cavity with a gradually doped GaAs/AlAs distributed Bragg reflector. A two-step lithographic process was used to fabricate the chiral structures, in combination with electrical injectors. This device represents a key step toward utilizing chiral microcavities in real-world applications.