A simple-versatile approach to achieve all-Si-based optical micro-cavities

At present, solid thin films are recognized by their well established and mature processing technology that is able to produce components which, depending on their main characteristics, can perform either passive or active functions. Additionally, Si-based materials in the form of thin films perfectly match the concept of miniaturized and low-consumption devices-as required in various modern technological applications. Part of these aspects was considered in the present work that was concerned with the study of optical micro-cavities entirely based on silicon and silicon nitride thin films. The structures were prepared by the sputtering deposition method which, due to the adopted conditions (atmosphere and deposition rate) and arrangement of layers, provided cavities operating either in the visible (at ~ 670 nm) or in the near-infrared (at ~ 1560 nm) wavelength ranges. The main differential of the work relies on the construction of optical microcavities with a reduced number of periods whose main properties can be changed by thermal annealing treatments. The work also discusses the angle-dependent behavior of the optical transmission profiles as well as the use of the COMSOL software package to simulate the microcavities.