Silver iodide phosphate glass microsphere resonator integrated on an optical fiber taper

In this Letter, we demonstrate the fabrication and characterization of a robust and functional whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonating system based on a silver iodide phosphate glass microsphere melted on an optical fiber taper. The fabrication process is presented, together with spectral characterization of the device. The effect of the thermal annealing of the soft glass resonator on the whispering gallery modes' excitation and Q-factor is shown and discussed.