Nonlinear optical effects in the whispering-gallery modes of microspheres

Albert T. Rosenberger

doi:10.1117/12.351413

28 June 1999 Nonlinear optical effects in the whispering-gallery modes of microspheres

Albert T. Rosenberger

Proceedings Volume 3793, Operational Characteristics and Crystal Growth of Nonlinear Optical Materials; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.351413
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

The optical whispering-gallery modes of dielectric microspheres can have extremely sharp resonances, with quality factors as large as Q = 10¹⁰. Using evanescent coupling for input and output, an effective ring resonator is produced, with a large intracavity field enhancement. It has been suggested that optical nonlinearities might be enhanced using these modes. Our effort to do so is described herein. The nonlinear medium is a composite, in which semiconductor nanoparticles are the active component and constitute a small volume fraction. This can be achieved by fabricating microspheres from semiconductor-doped glasses or by coating fused-silica spheres. Because the field distribution of a whispering-gallery mode is strongly localized near the sphere's surface and includes an evanescent tail external to the sphere, thin-film coating is a practical option, and this technique offers several advantages. The properties of whispering-gallery modes and optical coupling are discussed, the processes of fabrication and coating are described, and the operational characteristics and potential applications of nonlinear optical behavior in microspheres are considered.

Citation Download Citation

Albert T. Rosenberger "Nonlinear optical effects in the whispering-gallery modes of microspheres", Proc. SPIE 3793, Operational Characteristics and Crystal Growth of Nonlinear Optical Materials, (28 June 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.351413

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