Silicon microspheres for mid infrared photonics

Abstract

Microspheres possess high quality factor morphology-dependent resonances, i.e., whispering gallery modes. These whispering gallery modes can be used in resonant cavity enhanced applications of optoelectronic devices such as, filters, detector, modulators and switches. Feasibility of silicon microsphere device at Mid-IR frequencies is studied. The high quality factor morphology dependent resonances have repetitive channel separations of 0.124 mu m in silicon microspheres with a radius of 50 mu m at wavelengths between 9.8 mu m and 10.6 mu m.