Slotted photonic crystal nanobeam cavity with an ultrahigh quality factor-to-mode volume ratio

Abstract

We describe the design, fabrication, and characterization of a 1-dimensional silicon photonic crystal cavity with a quality factor-to-mode volume ratio greater than $$10^7$$, which exceeds the highest previous values by an order of magnitude. The maximum of the electric field is outside the silicon in a void formed by a central slot. An extremely small calculated mode volume of 0.0096 (λvac/n $$)^3$$ is achieved through the abrupt change of the electric field in the slot, despite which a high quality factor of 8.2 × $$10^5$$ is predicted by simulation. Quality factors up to 1.4 × $$10^5$$ are measured in actual devices. The observation of pronounced thermo-optic bistability is consistent with the strong confinement of light in these cavities.