Single-point-diamond-turned GaAs disk resonator with over a million optical quality factor

TL;DR

This paper reports the fabrication of a 5-mm GaAs whispering gallery mode resonator with an optical quality factor exceeding one million, achieved through single-point diamond turning and polishing, advancing GaAs photonic devices.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel fabrication process for high-Q GaAs resonators using single-point diamond turning combined with polishing, achieving over a million quality factor.

Findings

Optical quality factor exceeds one million.

Successful fabrication of 5-mm GaAs resonator.

Potential for enhanced light-matter interaction applications.

Abstract

Gallium arsenide optical resonators have been identified as platforms for light-matter interactions ranging from optomechanics to quantum electrodynamics involving nonlinear optics. Here, we present a 5-mm-diameter whispering gallery mode resonator made of undoped gallium arsenide. The fabrication was done using single-point diamond turning followed by polishing with diamond solutions of varying grain size. The resulting resonator was optically characterized to have a quality factor of more than a million.