A robust sensor, suitable for dipping into fluid wells, includes (a) a stem; (b) a whispering gallery mode (“WGM”) resonator mechanically supported by the stem; and (c) feed and pickup optical fibers optically coupled with the WGM resonator and mechanically coupled with the stem, thereby defining a stem-resonator-fiber assembly, wherein a portion of the stem-resonator-fiber assembly including the WGM resonator can fit within an imaginary cylinder having a diameter of 7 mm (or 2 mm, or even 1 mm). Such a whispering gallery mode (“WGM”) dip sensor, including (1) a stem, (2) a WGM resonator, and (3) feed and pickup optical fibers, may be made by (a) fabricating the WGM resonator and the stem from an optical fiber; (b) fabricating tapers on the feed and pickup fibers; (c) positioning tapers of the feed and pickup fibers relative to the WGM resonator such that an optical coupling between the tapers and the WGM resonator is established; and (d) mechanically coupling the stem with the feed and pickup fibers.

A device for guiding and absorbing electromagnetic radiation, the device including: absorbing means for absorbing the electromagnetic radiation; and a coupled to the absorbing means for guiding the electromagnetic radiation to the absorbing means, wherein the waveguide and the absorbing means are formed from a structure including a first cladding layer, a second cladding layer over the first cladding layer, and a quantum-well layer between the first and second cladding layers, the quantum-well layer being formed of a material having a different composition to the first and second cladding layers, wherein the thickness and the composition of the quantum-well layer is optimised to provide an acceptable level of absorption of electromagnetic radiation in the waveguide while providing an appropriate band gap for absorption of the electromagnetic radiation in the absorbing means.

An FM LIDAR system is described that includes a frequency modulated LIDAR system that incorporates a laser source that is optically coupled to a whispering gallery mode optical resonator. Light from the laser that is coupled into the whispering gallery mode optical resonator is coupled back out as a returning counterpropagating wave having a frequency characteristic of a whispering gallery mode of the optical resonator. This returning wave is used to reduce the linewidth of the source laser by optical injection. Modulation of the optical properties of the whispering gallery mode optical resonator results in modulation of the frequency of the frequencies supported by whispering gallery modes of the resonator, and provides a method for producing highly linear and reproducible optical chirps that are highly suited for use in a LIDAR system. Methods of using such an FM LIDAR system and vehicle assisting systems that incorporate such FM LIDAR systems are also described.

Transducers and methods of making the same include a substrate having a cavity with a diameter that supports whispering gallery modes at a frequency of an input signal. A focusing structure in the cavity focuses the electric field of the input signal. A resonator directly under the focusing structure has a crystalline structure that generates an electro-optic effect when exposed to electrical fields. An electric field of the input signal modulates an output signal in the resonator via the electro-optic effect.

The systems described herein can be used to modulate either the phase, the amplitude, or both of an input light wave using micro-resonators to achieve desired degrees and/or types of modulation.

Disclosed is an optoelectromechanical switch that includes: an optical feedline disposed on an isolation substrate that receives resonator light that is subject to optical communication to a resonator when a cavity length of the resonator supports an electromagnetic mode at the wavelength of the resonator light; a resonator including: a low refractive index optical layer and receives substrate electrical counter potential; a non-conductive spacer; the electrically conductive membrane and that receives a membrane electrical potential and deflects toward and away from the electrically conductive high-index optical waveguide based on a difference in potential between the membrane electrical potential and the substrate electrical counter potential; the cavity length that is variable and under electromechanical control.

An asymmetric optical resonator comprises a waveguiding element forming a closed loop. A first circumference of the loop is different from a second circumference, the first circumference being measured at one end of the loop in a plane perpendicular to a cavity axis. The second circumference is measured at the opposite end of the loop in a plane perpendicular to the cavity axis. An effective refractive index of the waveguiding element varies along a circumferential direction of the loop.

An electromagnetic wave resonator comprising a body, wherein the body: has a structure extending essentially in a plane (r, θ), comprises a material in a region between limit radii r.sub.i and r.sub.o, where 0≦r.sub.i<r.sub.o and r.sub.o corresponds to a radius of a convex hull () of the structure; and allows for electromagnetic wave propagation, and wherein an effective refractive index n.sub.e(r), as obtained from angularly averaging a refractive index of the material in the plane (r, θ), decreases within said region.

An optical diode (1) comprising an optical wave guide for guiding light, preferably of a light mode, with a vacuum wavelength λ.sub.0, wherein the optical wave guide has a wave guide core (2, 3, 14) with a first index of refraction (n.sub.1), and the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) is surrounded by at least one second optical medium which has at least one second index of refraction (n2), wherein n.sub.1>n.sub.2 applies, wherein the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) has at least in sections a smallest lateral dimension (7) which is a smallest dimension of a cross section (6) perpendicular to a propagation direction (5) of the light in the wave guide core (2, 3, 14), wherein the smallest lateral dimension (7) is greater than or equal to λ.sub.0/(5*n.sub.1) and less than or equal to 20*λ.sub.0/n.sub.1, wherein the optical diode (1) additionally comprises at least one absorber element (10, 11, 15, 16) which is arranged in a near field, wherein the near field consists of the electromagnetic field of the light of the vacuum wavelength λ.sub.0 in the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) and outside of the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) up to a standard interval (12) of 5*λ.sub.0, wherein the standard interval (12) is measured starting from one surface (8) of the wave guide core (2, 3, 14) forming an optical interface and in a direction perpendicular to the surface (8). The invention provides that the at least one absorber element (10, 11, 15, 16) for the light of the vacuum wavelength λ.sub.0 has a strongly different absorption for left circular polarization (σ.sup.−) and the right circular polarization (σ.sup.+).

A method for producing an organic microdisk structure 40, which is characterized by comprising: a cladding layer formation step 1 wherein a cladding layer 12 is formed by printing a first ink 11 that contains a fluorine-containing hyperbranched polymer on a substrate 10 by an inkjet method; a core layer formation step 2 wherein a core layer 22 is formed by printing a second ink 21 that contains a laser dye and a triazine-based hyperbranched polymer containing no fluorine on the cladding layer 12 by an inkjet method; and an etching step 3 wherein the cladding layer 12 is etched using a solvent 31 that dissolves only the fluorine-containing hyperbranched polymer. Consequently, an unconventional novel method for producing an organic microdisk structure with use of an inkjet method is able to be provided.