Directional whispering gallery mode emission from Limaçon-shaped electrically pumped quantum dot micropillar lasers

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We experimentally demonstrate directional far field emission from whispering gallery modes (WGMs) in electrically driven quantum dot micropillar lasers. In-plane directionality of whispering gallery mode emission is obtained by patterning micropillars with Limaçon-shaped cross-section and an upper air-bridge contact for current injection. The micropillar lasers with radii R0 down to 4.5 μm show Q-factors of 40 000 and threshold currents of 40 μA at low temperature. We achieved a far field divergence of about 30° and a directionality of 1.67 ± 0.15 for an optimal Limaçon deformation factor ɛ ≈ 0.5. Parameter dependent studies of the directional emission as a function of ɛ reveal good qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions.