FDTD microcavity simulations: design and experimental realization of waveguide-coupled single-mode ring and whispering-gallery-mode disk resonators

Author

Hagness, S.C. ; Rafizadeh, D. ; Ho, S.T. ; Taflove, A.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL, USA

Volume

15

Issue

11

fYear

1997

fDate

11/1/1997 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

2154

Lastpage

2165

Abstract

We investigate the properties of high-Q, wide free-spectral-range semiconductor microcavity ring and disk resonators coupled to submicron-width waveguides. Key optical design parameters are characterized using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solutions of the full-wave Maxwell´s equations. We report coupling efficiencies and resonant frequencies that include the effects of waveguide dispersion and bending and scattering losses. For diameters of 5 μm, the microcavity resonators can have Q´s in the several thousands and a free spectral range of 6 THz (50 nm) in the 1.55 μm, wavelength range. Studies of the transmittance characteristics illustrate the transition from single-mode resonances to whispering-gallery-mode resonances as the waveguide width of the microring is increased to form a solid microdisk. We present nanofabrication results and experimentally measured transmission resonances of AlGaAs/GaAs microcavity resonators designed in part with this method

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; Maxwell equations; aluminium compounds; finite difference time-domain analysis; gallium arsenide; optical communication equipment; optical couplers; optical design techniques; optical resonators; optical waveguide theory; 1.55 mum; 5 mum; AlGaAs-GaAs; FDTD microcavity simulations; bending; coupling efficiencies; e; finite-difference time-domain; free spectral range; full-wave Maxwell´s equations; high-Q wide free-spectral-range semiconductor microcavity ring resonators; microcavity resonators; microring; nanofabrication results; optical design parameters; resonant frequencies; scattering losses; single-mode resonances; solid microdisk; submicron-width waveguides; transmittance characteristics; waveguide dispersion; waveguide-coupled single-mode ring resonators; whispering-gallery-mode disk resonators; whispering-gallery-mode resonances; Finite difference methods; Maxwell equations; Microcavities; Optical design; Optical resonators; Optical waveguides; Resonance; Resonant frequency; Semiconductor waveguides; Time domain analysis;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Lightwave Technology, Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0733-8724

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/50.641537

Filename

641537