Photonic crystal cavity on optical fiber facet for refractive index sensing.

Using a micromanipulation technique, a planar photonic crystal nanocavity made from a thin semiconductor membrane is released from the host semiconductor and attached to the end facet of a standard single-mode optical fiber. The cavity spectrum can be read out through the fiber by detecting the photoluminescence of embedded quantum dots. The modified fiber end serves as a fiber-optic refractive index sensor. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America