Silicon carbide-based photonic crystal nanocavities for ultra-broadband operation from infrared to visible wavelengths

To realize nanophotonic devices that operate in both the infrared and visible wavelength ranges on a single wafer, we investigated the optical characteristics of silicon carbide (SiC)-based photonic crystal nanocavities. By fabricating nanocavities with lattice constants ranging from 150 to 600 nm, we experimentally demonstrated resonant wavelengths of individual cavities ranging from 550 to 1450 nm on a single SiC wafer. Furthermore, this ultra-broadband operation reveals the material dispersion of the thin SiC wafer, which is estimated as n(SiC) = 2.34 vertical bar 9.18 x 10(4) /lambda(2), over the wide range of aforementioned wavelengths. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3647979]