On-chip tuning of the resonant wavelength in a high-Q microresonator integrated with a microheater

Abstract

We report on fabrication of a microtoroid resonator of high-quality (high-Q) factor integrated with an on-chip microheater. Both the microresonator and microheater are fabricated using femtosecond laser three-dimensional (3D) micromachining. The microheater, which is located about 200 micron away from the microresonator, has a footprint size of 200 micron by 400 micron. Tuning of the resonant wavelength in the microresonator has been achieved by varying the voltage applied on the microheater. The drifting of the resonant wavelength shows a linear dependence on the square of the voltage applied on the microheater. We found that the response time of the microresonator is less than 10 secs which is significantly shorter than the time required for reaching a thermal equilibrium on conventional heating instruments such as an external electric heater.