Near-field imaging and frequency tuning of a high-Q photonic crystal membrane microcavity

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how near-field scanning and nanoscopic objects can be used to map, tune, and understand high-Q photonic crystal membrane microcavities, revealing their optical properties and interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a method for spatio-spectral mapping and frequency tuning of photonic crystal resonators using a controlled near-field probe and nanoscopic objects.

Findings

Scanning probes significantly alter optical characteristics.

Nanoscopic objects enable low-loss frequency tuning.

Experimental results agree with theoretical predictions.

Abstract

We discuss experimental studies of the interaction between a nanoscopic object and a photonic crystal membrane resonator of quality factor Q=55000. By controlled actuation of a glass fiber tip in the near-field of a photonic crystal, we constructed a complete spatio-spectral map of the resonator mode and its coupling with the fiber-tip. On the one hand, our findings demonstrate that scanning probes can profoundly influence the optical characteristics and the near-field images of photonic devices. On the other hand, we show that the introduction of a nanoscopic object provides a low-loss method for on-command tuning of a photonic crystal resonator frequency. Our results are in a very good agreement with the predictions of a combined numerical/analytical theory.