Nanometer-scale photon confinement in topology-optimized dielectric cavities.

ABSTRACT: Nanotechnology enables in principle a precise mapping from design to device but relied so far on human intuition and simple optimizations. In nanophotonics, a central question is how to make devices in which the light-matter interaction strength is limited only by materials and nanofabrication. Here, we integrate measured fabrication constraints into topology optimization, aiming for the strongest possible light-matter interaction in a compact silicon membrane, demonstrating an unprecedented photonic nanocavity with a mode volume of V ~ 3 × 10^-4 λ³, quality factor Q ~ 1100, and footprint 4 λ² for telecom photons with a λ ~ 1550 nm wavelength. We fabricate the cavity, which confines photons inside 8 nm silicon bridges with ultra-high aspect ratios of 30 and

SUBMITTER: Albrechtsen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9587274 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature