ABSTRACT

Optical microcavities and nanocavities,1 in which light is conned on a spatial scale of the order of its wavelength, have undergone substantial progress in the last few years.2,3 Advances in design and nanofabrication have allowed the realization of structures with a high quality (Q) factor and/or low mode volume (V) that are suited for a variety of applications. In this chapter, we shall be concerned with nanocavities realized in photonic crystal (PhC) slabs, or waveguide embedded PhCs: such PhC slab nanocavities are characterized by unprecedented values of the ratio Q/V, especially when fabricated in silicon membranes, taking advantage of superior material properties and highly developed nanofabrication techniques.