Microphotonics Applications of Silicon Microspheres
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0934-I08-04
Microphotonics Applications of Silicon Microspheres Ali Serpengüzel Physics Department, Koç University, Microphotonics Research Laboratory, Rumelifeneri Yolu, Sariyer, Istanbul, 34450, Turkey ABSTRACT Silicon microspheres with high quality factor morphology dependent resonances (MDRs), or whispering gallery modes (WGMs), are used for resonant detection and filtering in the near-infrared. The near-infrared light is coupled to the silicon microsphere with optical fiber half couplers. The observed morphology dependent resonances have quality factors of 100000. The experimentally measured quality factors are limited by the sensitivity of the experimental setup. These optical resonances provide the necessary narrow linewidths that are needed for high resolution optical filtering, Raman lasers, modulators, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible detectors in the near-infrared. The silicon microsphere shows promise as a building block for silicon microphotonics, a complementary technology to the already well established CMOS based microelectronics technology for the realization of future microelectrophotonic integration. Keywords: complementary metal oxide semiconductor, CMOS, channel dropping, microsphere, microphotonics, morphology-dependent resonance, MDR, photonics, resonator, silicon, silicon photonics, THz, wavelength division multiplexing, WDM, whispering gallery mode, WGM.
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INTRODUCTION
In optical communication, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) or more recently dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), is important for increasing the bandwidth of the current fiber optic networks. In WDM, the final optical to electronic conversion needs an all-optical packet-switching layer, which consists of all-optical gates, interferometers, semiconductor optical amplifiers, resonant cavity enhanced photodetectors, optical random access memory elements, and channel dropping filters [1]. Semiconductor and dielectric microspheres are uniquely applicable to compact optoelectronic and microphotonic devices for WDM. In these planar lightwave circuits, semiconductor and dielectric microspheres with their morphology dependent resonances (MDR’s), or whispering gallery modes (WGMs), can be used as compact channel dropping filters. A microsphere coupled to two optical fibers constitutes an add-drop filter. Optical signals are introduced through one of the optical fibers leading into the filter (add port). Signals at the resonant wavelengths of the filter are transferred to the other optical fiber (drop port) at the other side of the filter. Optical signals at nonresonant wavelengths pass through the filter along the input optical fiber (through port). Fiber optic add-drop filters based on a silica microsphere system on a taper-resonator-taper coupler and channel-dropping filter using a microsphere and integrated waveguides have been developed [2]. Si-SiO2 microring resonator optical channel dropping filter was realized with Q values of 250 in 5-µm radius [3]. More recently, we have shown optic
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