Photonic crystal dumbbell resonators in silicon and aluminum nitride integrated optical circuits

Abstract: Tight confinement of light in photonic cavities provides an efficient template for the realization of high optical intensity with strong field gradients. Here we present such a nanoscale resonator device based on a one-dimensional photonic crystal slot cavity. Our design allows for realizing highly localized optical modes with theoretically predicted Q factors in excess of 106. The design is demonstrated experimentally both in a high-contrast refractive index system (silicon), as well as in medium refractive index contrast devices made from aluminum nitride. We achieve extinction ratio of 21dB in critically coupled resonators using an on-chip readout platform with loaded Q factors up to 33,000. Our approach holds promise for realizing ultra-small opto-mechanical resonators for high-frequency operation and sensing applications.