We use these wafers to fabricate optical resonators. So far, we have used a wet thermal oxide layer because it is easier to achieve a thicker oxide film. We believe a dry thermal oxide layer may help us achieve better quality resonators. Can you offer wafers with dry thermal oxide at 1 micron or more, preferably 2 microns?
Wafers for Optical Resonator Fabrication
Researchers use optical resonator wafers to fabricate photonic devices, optical cavities, waveguides, resonator sensors, MEMS devices, and tunable optical filters. The best substrate depends on the wavelength range, oxide thickness, surface quality, optical loss requirements, and device design.
Calcium fluoride (CaF2), silicon, thermal oxide, fused silica, quartz, sapphire, and SOI wafers may be used for optical resonator research. Let us help you find the correct wafer specification for your project.
Get your Optical Resonator Wafer Quote FAST! Or, Buy Online and start your research today!
Dry Thermal Oxide for Optical Resonator Research
A researcher contacted UniversityWafer looking for dry thermal oxide wafers to fabricate optical resonators. Their lab had previously used wet thermal oxide, but they wanted to test whether dry oxide could improve resonator quality.
UniversityWafer Quoted and the Researcher Purchased:
76.2mm P(100) Silicon Wafers
500um thick, DSP, 0.01-0.02 ohm-cm, SEMI Prime, 2 flats, with 1.0μm ±5% thermal oxide on both sides of the wafer.
Substrates Used to Fabricate Optical Resonators
Optical resonators can be fabricated from a wide range of substrate materials. Silicon and thermal oxide wafers are popular for integrated photonics and MEMS processing, while optical materials such as fused silica, quartz, sapphire, and calcium fluoride are selected for low optical loss, infrared transmission, thermal stability, or specialty wavelength requirements.
- Silicon wafers for MEMS, photonics, and optical cavity fabrication
- Thermal oxide wafers for waveguides and optical isolation layers
- SOI wafers for silicon photonics and integrated resonators
- Fused silica wafers for low-loss optical devices
- Single crystal quartz for optical and piezoelectric applications
- Sapphire wafers for durable optical and high-temperature devices
- Calcium fluoride substrates for infrared and tunable optical resonator research
Need a custom optical resonator wafer? Send us your diameter, thickness, orientation, polish, resistivity, oxide thickness, and quantity requirements for a fast quote.
What Is an Optical Resonator?
An optical resonator, also called an optical cavity, is a structure that confines and recirculates light. By allowing selected wavelengths to resonate inside the cavity, optical resonators can filter, amplify, modulate, or detect light with high sensitivity.
Researchers use optical resonators in lasers, photonic sensors, optical filters, waveguides, biosensors, gyroscopes, spectroscopy systems, and integrated photonic circuits. Common resonator shapes include rings, disks, spheres, microcavities, Fabry-Perot cavities, and whispering-gallery-mode structures.
How Do Optical Resonators Work?
Optical resonators work by trapping light between reflective surfaces or within a curved optical path. When the optical path length matches specific wavelengths, the light constructively interferes and creates a strong resonant signal.
This resonance can be used to detect small changes in refractive index, wavelength, temperature, pressure, chemical concentration, or biological binding events. Because the light interacts with the resonator many times, even small changes can produce measurable shifts.
Wafers Used to Fabricate Optical Resonators
Optical resonators can be fabricated on several wafer and substrate materials depending on the wavelength range, device design, and fabrication process. Researchers often use silicon wafers, thermal oxide wafers, fused silica, quartz, sapphire, calcium fluoride, and other optical-grade substrates.
- Thermal oxide wafers for optical isolation and waveguide structures
- SOI wafers for silicon photonics and integrated optical circuits
- Fused silica wafers for low-loss optical applications
- Single crystal quartz for optical and piezoelectric devices
- Sapphire wafers for high-temperature and optical applications
- Calcium fluoride for infrared and tunable optical resonator research
Thermal Oxide for Optical Resonator Research
Silicon wafers with thermal oxide are commonly used to fabricate optical resonators, waveguides, and photonic devices. The oxide layer can provide optical isolation, control refractive index contrast, and support resonator structures with improved optical performance.
Dry thermal oxide is often preferred when researchers need a dense, high-quality oxide film. Wet thermal oxide is commonly used for thicker oxide growth, while dry oxide may be selected for optical resonator projects where film quality, uniformity, and interface control are important.
Optical Resonator Sensor Applications
Optical resonator sensors are used when high sensitivity is needed in a compact device. They can detect changes caused by pressure, temperature, chemicals, gases, biomarkers, or biological molecules.
In biosensing and medical diagnostics, optical resonators can detect binding events without fluorescent labels. In communications and photonics, they are used for wavelength filtering, modulation, frequency conversion, and signal processing.
Common Optical Resonator Types
- Fabry-Perot resonators: use two reflective surfaces to form an optical cavity.
- Ring resonators: guide light in a circular path for filtering and sensing.
- Disk resonators: confine light around the edge of a microdisk structure.
- Whispering-gallery-mode resonators: trap light along a curved surface with very low loss.
- Photonic crystal cavities: use patterned materials to localize light at small scales.
Order Wafers for Optical Resonators
UniversityWafer, Inc. supplies wafers and substrates for optical resonator fabrication, photonic sensor development, optical cavities, MEMS devices, waveguides, and silicon photonics research. Available materials include silicon, thermal oxide, SOI, fused silica, quartz, sapphire, and calcium fluoride.