title: Discrete-mode cancellation mechanism for high-Q integrated optical cavities with small modal volume.
abstract: A mechanism to reduce radiation loss from integrated optical cavities without a complete photonic bandgap is introduced and demonstrated. It is applicable to any device with a patterned substrate (including both low and high index-contrast systems), when it supports discrete guided or leaky modes through which power escaping the cavity can be channeled into radiation. One then achieves the associated increase in Q by designing the cavity such that the near-field pattern becomes orthogonal to these discrete modes, therefore canceling the coupling of power into them and thus reducing the total radiation loss. The method is independent of any delocalization mechanism and can be used to create high-Q cavities with small modal volume.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Center for Material Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. aristos@mit.edu
authors.forename: Aristeidis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karalis
authors.forename: Steven G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Joannopoulos