Hybrid photonic-plasmonic microcavities for Q/V ratio enhancement

A novel photonic-plasmonic device with a 1D PhC dielectric cavity vertically coupled to a metal slot has been discussed. The device performance has been compared with the state-of the-art of micro-cavities, demonstrating a remarkable improvement of Q/V (= 10⁷ (λ/n)^-3) with respect to results reported in literature. A strong lightmatter interaction has been observed, making the cavity suitable for optical trapping, particularly. Strong optical forces, high stiffness and stability of the optical traps are expected in the slotted structure due to the ultra-high Q/V of the properly designed hybrid cavity, allowing the trapping of atoms and nanoparticles, such as proteins and DNA sections, and making the device suitable for interesting applications in oncology and proteomics.