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Microcavity Optics: Materials, Physics and Devices

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical and Photonic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2023) | Viewed by 10381

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Interests: micro-cavity lasers; organic semiconductor lasers; quantum dots lasers; integrated photonic devices and circuits; plasmonics; photonic crystals
Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing 100190, China
Interests: nano printing; nanophotonics; quantum dots; bio-detection; optoelectronics
Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Materials Science, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Interests: polymer optical fibers; random lasers; random fiber lasers; disorder optics; magneto-optic effect
Beijing Key Laboratory of Metamaterials and Devices, Key Laboratory of Terahertz Optoelectronics, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Imaging Technology, Department of Physics, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
Interests: lab on fiber; whispering gallery microcavities; vapor sensing; two-photon lithography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microcavities provide a universal platform to investigate light–matter interactions due to their extremely high-quality factors and very small mode volumes. Typical microcavity configurations include Fabry–Perot (FP) cavities, whispering gallery mode (WGM) cavities, distributed Bragg-reflector (DBR) cavities, distributed feedback (DFB) cavities, and random cavities. Rich and interesting physics in microcavities have been revealed, such as lasing, optomechanics, cavity mode coupling, mode-splitting, enhanced Raman and Brillouin scattering, and Fano resonance, which are the footstones for microcavity devices. To create a real microcavity, various organic/inorganic building blocks of microwires, microrings, microdisks, and photonic crystals have been employed, and special fabrication schemes for different situations have been invented such as etching, nanoimprint, nanostructures transfer, interference lithography, two-photon lithography, thermal evaporation, horizontal dipping, ink-jet printing, and drop casting. Research on microcavities is evolving and becoming increasingly comprehensive, often simultaneously involving many aspects from design and fabrication to the revelation of photophysical mechanisms in microcavities with novel spectroscopic characteristics. The long-term aim of the research in this field is to promote the applications of microcavities in display, sensing, imaging, optical communication, smart optoelectronics, and data storage, which requires tremendous efforts from more researchers.

Prof. Dr. Tianrui Zhai
Dr. Meng Su
Prof. Dr. Zhijia Hu
Prof. Dr. Shengfei Feng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • organic functional microcavity
  • asymmetric microcavity
  • coupled microcavities
  • microlasers
  • microcavities on fiber
  • integrated photonic circuits and devices
  • smart optoelectronics
  • disorder optics
  • magneto-optic effect

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2488 KiB  
Article
Genetic Algorithm-Assisted Design of Sandwiched One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals for Efficient Fluorescence Enhancement of 3.18-μm-Thick Layer of the Fluorescent Solution
by Jiantong Song, Guang Feng, Xiao Liu, Haoqiang Hou and Zhihui Chen
Materials 2022, 15(21), 7803; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15217803 - 04 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1036
Abstract
One-dimensional photonic crystal structures have been widely used to enhance fluorescence. However, its fluorescence enhancement is low-fold because of a weak excitation field region. In this paper, we used a genetic algorithm to assist in the design of two photonic crystals based on [...] Read more.
One-dimensional photonic crystal structures have been widely used to enhance fluorescence. However, its fluorescence enhancement is low-fold because of a weak excitation field region. In this paper, we used a genetic algorithm to assist in the design of two photonic crystals based on Al2O3 and TiO2 materials. One of them has a defect consisting of SiO2. The Fabry-Perot cavity (FP cavity) formed by the sandwiched photonic crystal achieves up to 14-fold enhancement of the excitation electric field. We modulate the electric field radiation distribution of the fluorescent material by using photonic forbidden bands. For a 3.18 μm thick layer of the fluorescent solution, the structure achieves up to 60-fold fluorescence enhancement. We also discussed that the reason for the different enhancement abilities in different places is the phase change caused by the optical path difference. This design is expected to have applications in display, imaging, etc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microcavity Optics: Materials, Physics and Devices)
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9 pages, 1607 KiB  
Article
Electrically Tunable Polymer Whispering-Gallery-Mode Laser
by Fangyuan Liu, Junhua Tong, Zhiyang Xu, Kun Ge, Jun Ruan, Libin Cui and Tianrui Zhai
Materials 2022, 15(14), 4812; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15144812 - 10 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1617
Abstract
Microlasers hold great promise for the development of photonics and optoelectronics. At present, tunable microcavity lasers, especially regarding in situ dynamic tuning, are still the focus of research. In this study, we combined a 0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.3PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) [...] Read more.
Microlasers hold great promise for the development of photonics and optoelectronics. At present, tunable microcavity lasers, especially regarding in situ dynamic tuning, are still the focus of research. In this study, we combined a 0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.3PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) piezoelectric crystal with a Poly [9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl] (PFO) microring cavity to realize a high-quality, electrically tunable, whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) laser. The dependence of the laser properties on the diameter of the microrings, including the laser spectrum and quality (Q) value, was investigated. It was found that with an increase in microring diameter, the laser emission redshifted, and the Q value increased. In addition, the device effectively achieved a blueshift under an applied electric field, and the wavelength tuning range was 0.71 nm. This work provides a method for in situ dynamic spectral modulation of microcavity lasers, and is expected to provide inspiration for the application of integrated photonics technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microcavity Optics: Materials, Physics and Devices)
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12 pages, 3094 KiB  
Article
Broadband Circular Polarizer Based on Chirped Double-Helix Chiral Fiber Grating
by Linlin Xue, Bras Samuel Malumba Timoteo, Weiwei Qiu and Zhongpeng Wang
Materials 2022, 15(9), 3366; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15093366 - 07 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1455
Abstract
We propose an all-fiber broadband circular polarizer based on leaky mode coupling and a phase-matched turning point (PMTP) in a chirped, double-helix, chiral, long-period, fiber grating (CLPG). The CLPG was coated with a material in which the refractive index was higher than that [...] Read more.
We propose an all-fiber broadband circular polarizer based on leaky mode coupling and a phase-matched turning point (PMTP) in a chirped, double-helix, chiral, long-period, fiber grating (CLPG). The CLPG was coated with a material in which the refractive index was higher than that of the fiber cladding, enabling the coupling of the core mode to leaky modes to achieve a desired extinction ratio. The complex coupled-mode theory was employed to investigate the coupling mechanism and conditions under which the desired coupling efficiency could be achieved. Moreover, the PMTP in phase-matched curves, which resolved the conflict between the operating bandwidth and the grating pitch range of the CLPG and made a large bandwidth with a small grating pitch possible, was used in the design to achieve a compact structure. Finally, two broadband circular polarizers with an extinction ratio above 25 dB were simulated; one had a bandwidth of over 120 nm and a length of 3.5 cm, and the other had a bandwidth of over 300 nm and a length of 8 cm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microcavity Optics: Materials, Physics and Devices)
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10 pages, 4808 KiB  
Article
The Structural Evolution of Semipolar (11−22) Plane AlN Tem-Plate on m-Plane Sapphire Prepared by Sputtering and High Temperature Annealing
by Fabi Zhang, Jin Zhang, Lijie Huang, Shangfeng Liu, Wei Luo, Junjie Kang, Zhiwen Liang, Jiakang Cao, Chenhui Zhang, Qi Wang and Ye Yuan
Materials 2022, 15(8), 2945; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15082945 - 18 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1873
Abstract
In this work, the epitaxial semipolar (11–22) AlN was prepared on nonpolar m-sapphire substrate by combining sputtering and high-temperature annealing. According to our systematic measurements and analysis from XRD, Raman spectra, and AFM, the evolution of crystalline structure and morphology was investigated [...] Read more.
In this work, the epitaxial semipolar (11–22) AlN was prepared on nonpolar m-sapphire substrate by combining sputtering and high-temperature annealing. According to our systematic measurements and analysis from XRD, Raman spectra, and AFM, the evolution of crystalline structure and morphology was investigated upon increasing AlN thickness and annealing duration. The annealing operation intensively resets the lattice and improves the crystalline quality. By varying the film thickness, the contribution from the AlN-sapphire interface on crystalline quality and lattice parameters during the annealing process was investigated, and its contribution was found to be not so obvious when the thickness increased from 300 nm to 1000 nm. When the annealing was performed under durations from 1 to 5 h, the crystalline quality was found unchanged; meanwhile, the evolution of morphology was pronounced, and it means the crystalline reorganization happens prior to morphology reset. Finally, the annealing treatment enabled a zig-zag morphology on the AlN template along the sapphire [0001] direction in the plane, which potentially affects the subsequent device epitaxy process. Therefore, our results act as important experience for the semipolar nitride semiconductor laser device preparation, particularly for the epitaxy of microcavity structure through providing the crystalline evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microcavity Optics: Materials, Physics and Devices)
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10 pages, 2393 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Hot-Electron Photodetection of a TiO2/Au Schottky Junction by Employing a Hybrid Plasmonic Nanostructure
by Wenyan Wang, Cheng Zhang, Kaifang Qiu, Guohui Li, Aiping Zhai, Yuying Hao, Xiaofeng Li and Yanxia Cui
Materials 2022, 15(8), 2737; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15082737 - 08 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1817
Abstract
Hot-electron photodetectors (HEPDs) are triggering a strong surge of interest in applications of image sensors and optics communication, since they can realize photoelectric responses when the incident photon energy is lower than the bandwidth of the semiconductor. In traditional HEPD systems, the metal [...] Read more.
Hot-electron photodetectors (HEPDs) are triggering a strong surge of interest in applications of image sensors and optics communication, since they can realize photoelectric responses when the incident photon energy is lower than the bandwidth of the semiconductor. In traditional HEPD systems, the metal layers are dressed with regular gratings, which can only excite plasmonic resonance over a narrow bandwidth, limiting the hot-electron photoelectric effect. To break this limitation, hybrid plasmonic nanostructures should be applied in HEPDs. Here, we propose a TiO2 based HEPD device incorporated with a hybrid plasmonic nanostructure, which consists of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) and a conformal transparent Au film. With the assistance of the plasmonic resonances excited in this hybrid nanostructure, the spectrum of the photocurrent response is significantly broadened from the UV band to the visible and near-infrared (NIR) ranges. It is demonstrated that at the wavelengths of 660 nm and 850 nm, the photocurrent in the hybrid HEPD device is enhanced by 610% and 960%, respectively, compared with the counterparts without the addition of Au NPs. This work promotes the development of high performances HEPDs, offering an alternative strategy for realizing photodetection and image sensing in the NIR range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microcavity Optics: Materials, Physics and Devices)
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13 pages, 3935 KiB  
Article
Exciting Magnetic Dipole Mode of Split-Ring Plasmonic Nano-Resonator by Photonic Crystal Nanocavity
by Yingke Ji, Binbin Wang, Liang Fang, Qiang Zhao, Fajun Xiao and Xuetao Gan
Materials 2021, 14(23), 7330; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14237330 - 30 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1696
Abstract
On-chip exciting electric modes in individual plasmonic nanostructures are realized widely; nevertheless, the excitation of their magnetic counterparts is seldom reported. Here, we propose a highly efficient on-chip excitation approach of the magnetic dipole mode of an individual split-ring resonator (SRR) by integrating [...] Read more.
On-chip exciting electric modes in individual plasmonic nanostructures are realized widely; nevertheless, the excitation of their magnetic counterparts is seldom reported. Here, we propose a highly efficient on-chip excitation approach of the magnetic dipole mode of an individual split-ring resonator (SRR) by integrating it onto a photonic crystal nanocavity (PCNC). A high excitation efficiency of up to 58% is realized through the resonant coupling between the modes of the SRR and PCNC. A further fine adjustment of the excited magnetic dipole mode is demonstrated by tuning the relative position and twist angle between the SRR and PCNC. Finally, a structure with a photonic crystal waveguide side-coupled with the hybrid SRR–PCNC is illustrated, which could excite the magnetic dipole mode with an in-plane coupling geometry and potentially facilitate the future device application. Our result may open a way for developing chip-integrated photonic devices employing a magnetic field component in the optical field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microcavity Optics: Materials, Physics and Devices)
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