Surface recombination in GaAs thin films
with two-dimensional photonic crystals

Xingsheng Xu, Toshiki Yamada, Akira Otomo

Abstract
The dynamics of spontaneous emission from GaAs slabs with photonic crystals etched into them are investigated both theoretically and experimentally. It is found that the intensity of spontaneous emission decreases significantly and that photonic crystals significantly shorten the lifetime of emission. The mechanics of enhancement and the reduction of emission from photonic crystals are analyzed by considering the surface recombination of GaAs. The measured and calculated lifetimes agree at a surface recombination velocity of 1.88x10(5) cm/s.

doi:10.1063/1.2841638