We report on the fabrication and optical characterization of photonic crystal cavities for visible wavelengths made from silicon nitride (SiN). We note significant improvements in fabrication process with respect to our previous studies. The intrinsic luminescence of the SiN membranes was used as an internal light source to study the quality factor of the cavity modes. We experimentally found values as high as 3400, which are up to the present unsurpassed for photonic crystal resonators in the visible spectra range. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations suggest another boost by a factor of two is possible by further optimizing the fabrication process. We describe a method by which arbitrary emitters or other nanoscopic objects can be coupled in a deterministic way by using the manipulation capabilities of an atomic force microscope.

Date Published: 26 May 2009
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 7366, Photonic Materials, Devices, and Applications III, 73661K (26 May 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.820926

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7366:
Photonic Materials, Devices, and Applications III
Ali Serpenguzel; Gonçal Badenes; Giancarlo C. Righini, Editor(s)