Batch Fabrication of High‐Quality Infrared Chalcogenide Microsphere Resonators. Issue 20 (2nd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xie, Yu; Cai, Dawei; Pan, Jing; Zhou, Ning; Gao, Yixiao; Jin, Yingying; Jiang, Xiaoshun; Qiu, Jianrong; Wang, Pan; Guo, Xin; Tong, Limin
• Is Part Of: Small. Volume 17:Issue 20(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-04-02
• Subjects: chalcogenide glasses -- low eccentricity -- microspheres -- mid‐infrared -- whispering gallery modes; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; Nanoparticles -- Periodicals; Microtechnology -- Periodicals; 620.5
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202100140
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1613-6810

Abstract

Abstract: Optical microsphere resonators working in the near‐ and mid‐infrared regions are highly required for a variety of applications, such as optical sensors, filters, modulators, and microlasers. Here, a simple and low‐cost approach is reported for batch fabrication of high‐quality chalcogenide glass (ChG) microsphere resonators by melting high‐purity ChG powders in an oil environment. Q factors as high as 1.2 × 10 6 (7.4 × 10 5 ) are observed in As2 S3 (As2 Se3 ) microspheres (≈30 µm in diameter) around 1550‐nm wavelength. Smaller microspheres with sizes around 10 µm also show excellent resonant responses ( Q ≈ 2.5 × 10 5 ). Based on the mode splitting of an azimuthal mode in a microsphere resonator, eccentricities as low as ≈0.13% (≈0.17%) for As2 S3 (As2 Se3 ) microspheres are measured. Moreover, by coupling ChG microspheres with a biconical As2 S3 fiber taper, Q factors of ≈1.7 × 10 4 (≈1.6 × 10 4 ) are obtained in As2 S3 (As2 Se3 ) microspheres in the mid‐infrared region (around 4.5 µm). The high‐quality ChG microspheres demonstrated here are highly attractive for near‐ and mid‐infrared optics, including optical sensing, optical nonlinearity, cavity quantum electrodynamics, microlasers, nanofocusing, and microscopic imaging. Abstract : A simple and low‐cost approach for batch fabrication of high‐quality chalcogenide glass (ChG) microspheres is demonstrated. By melting ChG powders in an oil environment, microspheres with an extremely low eccentricity (≈0.13%) can be readily fabricated. They exhibit excellent resonant responses both in near‐ and mid‐infrared spectral ranges ( Q factor of ≈10 6 around 1550 nm, and ≈10 4 around 4.5 µm).