Anderson Localization of Visible Light on a Nanophotonic Chip

Abstract

We demonstrate Anderson localisation of visible light on a chip and report quality factors exceeding highly engineered two-dimensional cavities. Our results reverse the trend, observed so far, of the quality of disorder-induced light confinement being orders of magnitude lower than engineered devices. Furthermore, by implementing a sensitive imaging technique, we directly visualise the localised modes, determine their position on the device and measure their spatial extension.Our findings prove the potential of disorder-induced localised light for scalable, room temperature, optical devices, operating in the visible range of wavelengths. * Electronic address: l.sapienza@soton.ac.uk 1 arXiv:1605.08614v2 [physics.optics]

High-Q Optical Cavities at Visible Wavelengths in Photonic Crystals in the Anderson-localized regime

“…By using the intrinsic photoluminescence of silicon nitride, we observe sharp resonances, a signature of the trapping of light in optical cavities, and measure quality factors approaching 10000 [4]. Such values exceed those reported for engineered 2D photonic crystal cavities operating at visible wavelengths.…”

High-Quality Confinement of Visible Light in Disordered Photonic Crystal Waveguides in the Anderson-Localized Regime

“…We use a different approach that makes use of fabrication imperfections to trap light via multiple scattering and give the first demonstration of Anderson localization of visible light on a nanophotonic chip. By using the intrinsic photoluminescence of silicon nitride, we observe sharp resonances, a signature of the trapping of light in optical cavities, and measure quality factors approaching 10000 [4], far exceeding values reported for engineered 2D photonic crystal cavities.…”

Disorder-Induced Light Confinement in Photonic Crystals as a Platform for Efficient Optical Sensing

“…By using imperfections as a resource, we show that several high-quality optical cavities spontaneously appear along a fabricated photonic crystal waveguide operating at room temperature [4]. Such an approach represents a route for scalable, high quality optical sensors.…”