Optical nicrocavities with subnanometer linewidths based on porous silicon

We have fabricated a number of high-quality porous silicon optical microcavities operating in the near infrared that exhibit cavity resonances with subnanometer linewidths. This was achieved through the low temperature anodic oxidation of highly doped p-type silicon wafers. We have investigated the optical properties of these microcavities using reflectivity and photoluminescence measurements and compared our results with theoretical predictions. From our analysis, we conclude that, for the low temperature fabrication process, the refractive index difference between adjacent layers of the multilayered structure is maximized while optical losses in the cavity are minimized. Furthermore, by considering the origin of optical losses in these microcavities,. we demonstrate that fluctuations in the position of the resonance wavelength and optical absorption play an important role in the realization of high-quality interferometric structures. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.