Hydrophobic Silica Microcavities with Sustainable Nonlinear Photonic Performance

Ultrahigh quality factor (Q) microcavities have been emerging as appealing compact photonic platforms for various applications. The Q factor plays a critical role in determining the nonlinear optical performance of a microcavity. However, a silica microcavity suffers from severe degradation of its Q value over time during storage or use in air due to the accumulating surface absorption loss, which would deteriorate their nonlinear photonic performance. Here, we report a new type of ultrahigh Q silica microcavity that effectively prevents Q degradation over time. The Q values of the devices remain unchanged over time under storage in air. Optical frequency combs are generated with sustainable ultralow threshold performance over the course of time from the devices in open air. This approach would greatly facilitate ultrahigh Q silica-based photonic devices for next generation photonic applications.