Periodical patterning of spherical micro-resonator surfaces for nonlinear light generation

High Q-factor spherical or circular micro-resonators may be used to sense nano-objects or molecules that may attach to the surface of the micro-resonator. Indeed, it has been shown that the sensitivity can be brought down to a level where the contribution of a single molecule is detectable [1]. However, in real applications this sensitivity may be limited given the large surface area available that is not part of the of the sensing area itself. To prevent such decrease it might be very useful to properly pattern the surface in a way that the small objects to be detected attach only to the areas where needed.