Enhanced nonlinear properties of photonic crystal nanocavities

Photonic crystal cavities in silicon-on-insulator platforms have been designed to achieve very high quality factors and/or far-field input/output coupling. In this paper I will review our works on the use of these cavities to realize: record-high-Q resonators by genetic optimization of the holes, and bright light emission in an electrically pumped light-emitting diode. Finally, I will discuss theoretical predictions for the realization of quantum photonic devices, such as single-photon sources and diodes, in all-silicon or hybrid photonic crystal platforms.