Photonic band gap airbridge microcavity resonances in GaAs/AlxOy waveguides

Photonic band gap waveguide microcavities were designed, fabricated, and me asured in a high-dielectric-contrast GaAs/AlxOy III-V compound semiconducto r structure. The photonic crystal is defined by a regularly spaced one-dime nsional array of holes in the waveguide. By controlling the spacing between the two central holes, the microcavity is formed. The waveguide microcavit y is suspended in the airbridge geometry to further increase optical confin ement. Resonance states with cavity quality factors as high as 360 were mea sured at wavelengths near 1.55 mu m, with modal volumes as small as 0.026 m u m(3). (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)06203-4].