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Fabrication and Characterization of High-Q Silicon Nitride Membrane Resonators
Published on: August 8, 2025
Fast light in silicon ring resonator with resonance-splitting.
Qiang Li1, Ziyang Zhang, Jing Wang
1State Key Lab of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, Department of Electronic Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Rd, Shanghai 200240, China.
Optics Express
|January 23, 2009
Summary
Researchers demonstrated fast light in a silicon ring resonator using resonance-splitting. This method achieves significant pulse advancement with minimal distortion, offering a novel approach for optical signal processing.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Optical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Fast light, where light propagates at a significantly reduced group velocity, has potential applications in optical buffering and signal processing.
- Ring resonators are key components in integrated photonics, but achieving fast light typically requires specific coupling regimes or complex structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate fast light in an over-coupled silicon ring resonator by utilizing resonance-splitting.
- To investigate the effect of strong mutual-coupling induced by an internal grating on resonance behavior and dispersion.
- To provide a new approach for realizing fast light in the over-coupled regime of compact ring resonators.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of an ultra-compact silicon ring resonator with an internal grating.
- Experimental measurement of light propagation through the resonator using signal pulses.
- Analysis of resonance splitting and anomalous dispersion using coupled mode theory.
Main Results:
- Successful demonstration of fast light in an over-coupled silicon ring resonator.
- Observation of resonance-splitting due to strong mutual-coupling from the internal grating.
- Achieved a maximum pulse advancement of 130 picoseconds for a 1-nanosecond signal pulse with low distortion.
- Experimental results showed good agreement with theoretical calculations based on coupled mode theory.
Conclusions:
- Resonance-splitting in over-coupled silicon ring resonators is an effective method for achieving fast light.
- The use of an internal grating provides strong mutual-coupling, leading to the desired anomalous dispersion.
- This approach offers a practical pathway for developing compact devices for optical signal manipulation.
