KAIST nanophotonics
Sanghee Yun
Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science, Daejeon, 34141, Korea
LiNbO3 photonic crystal nanobeam cavity
This study focuses on the exploration of lithium niobate (LN) photonic crystal nanobeam cavities as a promising optical platform with a high-quality factor (Q) to mode volume (V) ratio. The LN photonic crystal nanobeam cavity was designed to exhibit a transverse-electric fundamental mode, aiming to achieve an impressive Q/V ratio of 1.6×10^7 (λ/n)^(-3), as confirmed through numerical simulations utilizing the finite element method and the finite-time time-domain method. To realize the LN photonic crystal nanobeam cavity structure, a fabrication process involving focused ion beam (FIB) milling and wet-etching was employed, resulting in a remarkable high sidewall angle of 85°. Subsequently, the characterized LN photonic crystal nanobeam cavity was coupled with a U-shaped tapered optical fiber for experimental analysis. The measured intrinsic Q factor was determined to be 6.7×10^3 and the expected Q/V is 7.9×10^3 (λ/n)^(-3). The observed discrepancy can be attributed to the downward bending effect and the insufficient buffer air layer present in the free-standing LN photonic crystal cavity.