Raman silicon nanocavity laser with efficient light emission from the edge of an adjacent waveguide

A Raman nanocavity laser can emit light into free space and into a properly designed waveguide adjacent to the cavity by mode coupling. In common device designs, the emission from the edge of this waveguide is relatively weak. However, a Raman silicon nanocavity laser with strong emission from the waveguide edge would be advantageous for certain applications. Here we investigate the increase in the edge emission that can be achieved by adding photonic mirrors to the waveguides adjacent to the nanocavity. We experimentally compare devices with and without photonic mirrors: the edge emission for devices with mirrors is 4.3 times stronger on average. This increase is analyzed using coupled-mode theory. The results indicate that the control of the round-trip phase shift (between the nanocavity and the mirror) and an increase of the quality factors of the nanocavity are important for further enhancement.(c) 2023 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

A Raman nanocavity laser can emit light into free space and waveguides. By adding photonic mirrors to the waveguides, the edge emission of the nanocavity laser can be significantly enhanced. Experimental results show that devices with mirrors have 4.3 times stronger edge emission on average. Control of the round-trip phase shift and an increase in the quality factors of the nanocavity are important for further enhancement.