English

Rayleigh scattering, mode coupling, and optical loss in silicon microdisks

Optics 2007-05-23 v2

Abstract

High refractive index contrast optical microdisk resonators fabricated from silicon-on-insulator wafers are studied using an external silica fiber taper waveguide as a wafer-scale optical probe. Measurements performed in the 1500 nm wavelength band show that these silicon microdisks can support whispering-gallery modes with quality factors as high as 5.2 x 10^5, limited by Rayleigh scattering from fabrication induced surface roughness. Microdisks with radii as small as 2.5 microns are studied, with measured quality factors as high as 4.7 x 10^5 for an optical mode volume of 5.3 cubic wavelengths in the material.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.physics/0406101,
  title  = {Rayleigh scattering, mode coupling, and optical loss in silicon microdisks},
  author = {Matthew Borselli and Kartik Srinivasan and Paul E. Barclay and Oskar Painter},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0406101},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

4 pages, 2 figures; contains minor correction to doublet splitting theory

R2 v1 2026-07-22T18:59:44.633Z