Ultrahigh-Q crystalline microresonator fabrication with only precision machining

Abstract

The development of ultrahigh quality factor (Q) microresonators has been driving such technologies as cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED), high-precision sensing, optomechanics, and optical frequency comb generation. Here we report ultrahigh-Q crystalline microresonator fabrication with a Q exceeding $10^8$, for the first time, achieved solely by computer-controlled ultraprecision machining. Our fabrication method readily achieved the dispersion engineering and size control of fabricated devices via programmed machine motion. Moreover, in contrast to the conventional polishing method, our machining fabrication approach avoids the need for subsequent careful polishing, which is generally required to ensure that surface integrity is maintained, and this enabled us to realize an ultrahigh-Q. We carefully addressed the cutting condition and crystal anisotropy to overcome the large surface roughness that has thus far been the primary cause of the low-Q in the machining process. Our result paves the way for future mass-production with a view to various photonic applications utilizing ultrahigh-Q crystalline microresonators.

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Cited by in corpus (8)

• Dissipative Kerr soliton microcombs for FEC-free optical communications over 100 channels
• Versatile tuning of Kerr soliton microcombs in crystalline microresonators
• Mechanically actuated Kerr soliton microcombs
• Optical microcombs in whispering gallery mode crystalline resonators with dispersive intermode interactions
• Ultra high-Q WGM microspheres from ZBLAN for the mid-IR band
• Architecture for coherent dual-comb spectroscopy and low-noise photonic microwave generation using mechanically actuated soliton microcombs
• Systematic dispersion engineering of crystalline microresonators for broadband and coherent frequency comb generation
• Centi-combs: Low-noise sub-GHz repetition-rate soliton frequency combs from crystalline resonators