Silicon-based microcavities: theory and experiment

A detailed analysis, both experimental and theoretical, of light–matter interaction in dielectrically coupled semiconductor microcavities is presented. More specifically, we have designed and realized all a-SiN:H coupled planar microcavities, whose optical investigation via transmission/reflection as well as photoluminescence experiments reveals a clear fingerprint of cavity–cavity coupling effects. The latter have been quantitatively modelled via fully three-dimensional calculations based on a scattering-state approach including energy-dependent refractive indices and absorption coefficients.