We report the fabrication of a single-mode solid-state single photon source, based on an isolated InAs quantum dot (QD) on resonance with the fundamental mode of a pillar microcavity. Photon correlation experiments under pulsed excitation reveal a clear antibunching behavior. We show that a preparation of the single photons in a given quantum state (same spatial mode, same polarization) can be obtained by placing a QD in resonance with the nondegenerate fundamental mode of an elliptical micropillar.

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A GaAs/AlAs planar cavity containing a collection of InAs quantum boxes in its core region has been grown in a single step by molecular beam epitaxy, and processed by electron-beam lithography and reactive ion etching into pillar microresonators. The optical study by photoluminescence of these localized light emitters allows a systematic and precise determination of the energies of the first confined photon modes of such microstructures, in good agreement with theoretical estimates. More generally, such probes facilitate the experimental study of the modes of complex photonic microstructures and of the spontaneous emission alteration they entail on a quasimonochromatic light emitter.

A two-steps wet-etching fabrication process producing high-quality GaAs microdisks is presented. We report an optical characterization of these microdisks, using the photoluminescence of InAs quantum boxes as an internal light source. Thanks to an improved smoothness of the microdisk sidewall, cavity Q’s as high as 12 000 are observed, which opens very challenging novel application prospects for semiconductor microdisks.

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