Silicon photonics with microspheres

Abstract

Silicon microspheres coupled to optical fibers have been used for optical channel dropping in the near-IR. The observed morphology dependent resonances had quality factors of 100000. These optical resonances provide the necessary narrow linewidths, that are needed for high resolution optical filtering applications in the near-IR. In addition to filtering, detection, and switching applications of this photonic system is studied in the near-IR as well as far-IR. The silicon microsphere shows promise as a building block for silicon photonics in the near-IR as well as, mid-IR, and far-IR.