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Optical microcavities

Nature volume 424, pages 839–846 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Optical microcavities confine light to small volumes by resonant recirculation. Devices based on optical microcavities are already indispensable for a wide range of applications and studies. For example, microcavities made of active III–V semiconductor materials control laser emission spectra to enable long-distance transmission of data over optical fibres; they also ensure narrow spot-size laser read/write beams in CD and DVD players. In quantum optical devices, microcavities can coax atoms or quantum dots to emit spontaneous photons in a desired direction or can provide an environment where dissipative mechanisms such as spontaneous emission are overcome so that quantum entanglement of radiation and matter is possible. Applications of these remarkable devices are as diverse as their geometrical and resonant properties.

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Figure 1: Micropost (or micropillar) cavities1, 2 have played a major role in recent applications of the Purcell effect to triggered, single-photon sources.
Figure 2: Rendering of an ultrahigh-Q microtoroid resonator6.
Figure 3: Cross-sectional illustration of a photonic crystal defect microcavity laser.
Figure 4: If the coupling energy ħg in a strongly coupled system exceeds the thermal energy of the atom, then the atomic centre of mass motion will be altered by interaction with the vacuum cavity mode.
Figure 5: Illustration of a silica microsphere whispering gallery resonator.
Figure 6: Illustration of a microcavity add/drop filter in which two buried waveguides (shown in brown) are vertically coupled to a disk whispering gallery resonator.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by DARPA, the Caltech Lee Centre and the National Science Foundation.

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    Kerry J. Vahala

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Vahala, K. Optical microcavities. Nature 424, 839–846 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01939

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