Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
11:08
Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
High-Q width modulated photonic crystal stack mode-gap cavity and its application to refractive index sensing
1Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory for Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Sensing Technologies, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, China.
Optics Express
|November 29, 2012
Summary
A novel optical sensor utilizing a One-Dimensional photonic crystal (1D PhC) cavity demonstrates high sensitivity for detecting liquid mixtures. This advanced sensor achieves a sensitivity of 269nm/RIU, showcasing its potential in chemical sensing applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Optical Sensing
- Materials Science
Background:
- One-Dimensional photonic crystals (1D PhCs) offer unique optical properties.
- Cavity structures within 1D PhCs are crucial for enhancing light-matter interactions.
- Developing high-performance optical sensors is essential for various analytical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and fabricate a waveguide-coupled 1D PhC stack mode-gap cavity.
- To investigate the sensing capabilities of the designed cavity for liquid mixtures.
- To achieve high quality factors and sensitivity in the optical sensor.
Main Methods:
- Design of a 1D PhC stack mode-gap cavity with a quadratically modulated width tapering structure.
- Fabrication and characterization of the designed optical sensor.
- Immersion of the cavity in water-ethanol mixtures of varying concentrations for transmission measurements.
Main Results:
- A waveguide-coupled 1D PhC cavity with a high calculated Q-factor of 1.74 × 10^7 and effective mode volume of 1.48(λ/n(Si))^3 was designed.
- A quality factor of 27,000 was achieved for the cavity immersed in analytes.
- A high sensitivity of 269nm/RIU was demonstrated for the optical sensor.
Conclusions:
- The designed 1D PhC cavity is suitable for sensing applications.
- The sensor exhibits excellent performance with high quality factors and sensitivity.
- This technology holds promise for advanced optical sensing and analysis.
