Exact Tuning of High-Q Optical Microresonators by Use of UV

In one of several alternative approaches to the design and fabrication of a "whispering-gallery" optical microresonator of high resonance quality (high Q), the index of refraction of the resonator material and, hence, the resonance frequencies (which depend on the index of refraction) are tailored by use of ultraviolet (UV) light. The principles of operation of optical microresonators, and other approaches to the design and fabrication of optical microresonators, have been described in prior NASA Tech Briefs articles, including the two immediately preceding this one.