Micro-Photonic Resonators: Materials / Geometries / Applications

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*** * ****The*guiding, confining and processing of light using structures with dimensions*comparable to the optical wavelength has significantly enhanced our*communication, sensing and control capabilities. Greater demands on device*performance such as speed and sensitivity along with foot-print and power*reduction motivate researchers to explore novel materials and alternate*geometries. The optical resonator provides the core functionality of numerous*optical devices and is considered an optical configuration suitable to meet and*surpass forthcoming device requirements. An important step in the development*of next generation resonator based devices is the theoretical analysis of*proposed configurations prior to costly prototyping. Numerical simulations of*optical devices are rooted in solving Maxwell's equations, an activity*supported in this research cycle. ***The*research effort builds on existing custom developed numerical solvers that are efficient*in determining the optical properties of resonator states. The existence of*symmetry (cylindrical / spherical) imbedded within the resonator geometry and*exploitation of resonator state fundamental properties renders the device*design and theoretical analysis suitable for desk-top PC environments. To*address next generation resonator based devices, the material properties*available for research will be extended to include anisotropy, non-linearity,*gain, loss and frequency dependence. The intention is to also permit for*reconfigurable geometries where external stimuli can tune material properties*such as through the electro-optic effect, magneto-optic effect, optical*radiation based forces, charge density, and cavity deformation. The additional*material properties and geometry combinations will permit advanced*configurations to be explored such that next generation device requirements can*be reached and surpassed. The*advancements in the theoretical capabilities of the numerical solvers are*expected to have a significant impact on optical device research and design in*areas such as plasmonics, metamaterials, environmental sensing, bio-photonics, micro-structured*fibers and automation control. ***Upon*completion it is expected that advances will have been achieved in the*refinement of the numerical computation techniques and extended the material*properties available to study resonator geometries, have proposed and*numerically examined new resonator material-geometry configurations. Iterative*and perturbative computation engines will be available. Numerical computation*engines will be freely available to all researchers via the internet and*promises to streamline the early stages of resonator based device development*in Canada and abroad. Considerations will be given to extending the numerical*techniques to other areas such as acoustics and quantum mechanics as these fields*often overlap with photonics.***