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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
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Fabrication of Silica Ultra High Quality Factor Microresonators
Published on: July 2, 2012
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Ultra high-Q tunable microring resonators enabled by slow light.
Priyash Barya1,2, Ashwith Prabhu3, Laura Heller1,2
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Nature Communications
|November 25, 2025
Summary
Researchers enhanced nanophotonic resonator quality factors by nearly three orders of magnitude using spectral hole burning in erbium-doped lithium niobate. This breakthrough enables ultra-high Q-factors for advanced optical applications.
Area of Science:
- Nanophotonics
- Quantum Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- High-Q nanophotonic resonators are essential for optical processing, communication, and sensing.
- Existing methods for achieving ultra-high quality factors were limited to bulk systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the quality factor (Q-factor) of nanophotonic resonators using a novel approach.
- To demonstrate dynamic control over resonator resonances.
- To develop a theoretical model for observed resonator linewidths.
Main Methods:
- Implementing spectral hole burning in erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate microring resonators.
- Utilizing a highly transparent and strongly dispersive medium to reduce group velocity.
- Applying electro-optic tuning for dynamic control.
Main Results:
- Achieved Q-factors exceeding 108, an enhancement of nearly three orders of magnitude.
- Demonstrated dynamic control of resonator resonances.
- Observed a dramatic reduction in erbium dephasing rate under optical drive, leading to narrower linewidths.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully adapted a bulk system technique to nanophotonic resonators, achieving unprecedented Q-factors.
- The findings pave the way for advanced classical and quantum optical devices.
- A new theoretical model accurately describes the observed resonator linewidths, accounting for reduced dephasing rates.
