Characterization of silicon micro-ring resonators using near-field scanning optical microscopy

Summary form only given. Micro-ring resonators have generated much interest in the optical telecommunications community for their use as high-Q, low-loss channel drop filters. Many different variations in design and fabrication have been tested, including single and double ring designs, or disk types. Far-field optical microscopy has been used for characterization of these devices, but no attempt has yet been made at imaging the standing mode field patterns inside the micro-ring. The authors employ NSOM to map the internal optical modes of a micro-ring resonator.