Hybrid photonic‑plasmonic cavities can be tailored to display high Q‑factors and extremely small mode volumes simultaneously, which results in large values of the Purcell factor, FP. Amongst the different hybrid configurations, those based on a nanoparticle‑on‑a‑mirror (NPoM) plasmonic cavity provide one of the lowest mode volumes, though so far their operation has been constrained to wavelengths below 1 µm. Here, we propose a hybrid configuration consisting of a silicon photonic crystal cavity with a slot at its center in which a gold nanoparticle is introduced. This hybrid system operates at telecom wavelengths and provides high Q‑factor values (Q ≈ 105) and small normalized mode volumes (Vm ≈ 10−4), leading to extremely large Purcell factor values, FP ≈ 107 − 108. The proposed cavity could be used in different applications such as molecular optomechanics, bio‑ and chemo‑sensing, all‑optical signal processing or enhanced Raman spectroscopy in the relevant telecom wavelength regime.
Classification
subjects
Electronics
Optics
keywords
density of states; nanoantennas; nanophotonics; plasmonics; elemental semiconductors; nanoparticles; nanostructures; optical microcavities