Date of Award

12-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Electrical Engineering

Committee Chair/Advisor

Zhu, Lin

Committee Member

Johnson , Eric

Committee Member

Dong , Liang

Abstract

Micro sphere resonators that hold optical whisper gallery modes (WGMs) provide an innovative option for implementing micro optical resonators. The unique properties of the micro sphere resonator make it capable to introduce resonance for various optical phenomenon, like stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), in micron scale.

This thesis illustrates the characteristics of micro sphere resonators and demonstrates the resonance-enhanced SRS in micro sphere resonators with reduce threshold power. Both theoretical and experimental results are presented. Coupling model for WGM is derived in transfer matrix method. Simulation analyses for mode pattern of WGMs are solved based on mathematic model and finite element method (FEM). Fabrication of devices like silica binocular tapered fiber couplers and silica micro spheres is developed. The measurement setup is established, based on which characteristics of silica micro sphere resonators are measured. The result is compared to theoretical analysis to obtain the Q-factor of the resonator. The correspondence of the Q-factor on the coupling condition and the degradation of the Q factor over time are further discussed. SRS in silica micro sphere resonators is demonstrated with a reduced threshold power as low as 1 mW, which is 2 to 3 orders lower than that in fiber-based devices. Fabrication and measurement on chalcogenide glass micro sphere resonators are presented, according to which the threshold for SRS is also calculated. Further work is needed to improve the Q-factor of the chalcogenide glass micro sphere resonator for demonstrating the resonance-enhanced SRS in this material.

Included in

Optics Commons

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