Non-Linear Photocurrent Response to Bosonic Final State Stimulation in Microcavity Diodes

Abstract

We report the optical excitation-dependent output photocurrent characteristics of GaN-based polariton diode lasers operated under reverse-bias at room temperature. The photocurrent demonstrates a non-linear enhancement at an incident optical power of ~ 1.6 mW, which is approximately equivalent to the value of polariton lasing threshold observed when the diodes are operated under forward bias conditions. This is explained in the framework of an Auger-like process of excitonic dissociation into its constituent electron-hole pairs, which can be stimulated by the occupation of the polariton lasing states. The observed effect is a remarkable manifestation of the bosonic final state stimulation in polariton lasers. A model based on the coupled kinetic equations for the free carriers, the excitonic reservoir and the polariton condensate shows a good agreement to the experimental data.