Dielectric resonators based on amorphous silicon

Abstract

In this paper, we report on the design, modeling, fabrication, and characterization of dielectric microresonators based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride and hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide. The microresonators were modelled using the transfer matrix method (TMM). Quarter wavelength thick stacks of hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride and hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide were consecutively deposited using low temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). For the characterization of the dielectric microresonators the intrinsic photoluminescence of the amorphous silicon nitride is used. The photoluminescence is enhanced by at least an order of magnitude at the resonance wavelength of 710 nm. The minimum resonance linewidth is 6 nm, corresponding to a quality factor of 118. The maximum rejection bandwidth of the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) is 150 nm. The enhancement and inhibition of the photoluminescence is understood by the modified photon density of states of the dielectric microresonator. The linewidth of the photoluminescence is also narrowed with respect to the linewidth of the bulk amorphous silicon nitride, again due to the presence of the electromagnetic modes of the microresonator.