Transfer printing micro-assembly of silicon photonic crystal cavity arrays: beating the fabrication tolerance limit

Sean P. Bommer (), Christopher Panuski, Benoit Guilhabert, Zhongyi Xia, Jack A. Smith, Martin D. Dawson, Dirk Englund and Michael J. Strain ()
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Sean P. Bommer: University of Strathclyde
Christopher Panuski: MIT
Benoit Guilhabert: University of Strathclyde
Zhongyi Xia: University of Strathclyde
Jack A. Smith: University of Strathclyde
Martin D. Dawson: University of Strathclyde
Dirk Englund: MIT
Michael J. Strain: University of Strathclyde

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Photonic crystal cavities (PhCCs) can confine optical fields in ultra-small volumes, enabling efficient light-matter interactions for quantum and non-linear optics, sensing and all-optical signal processing. The inherent nanometric tolerances of micro-fabrication platforms can induce cavity resonant wavelength shifts two-orders of magnitude larger than cavity linewidths, prohibiting fabrication of arrays of nominally identical devices. We address this device variability by fabricating PhCCs as releasable pixels that can be transferred from their native substrate to a receiver where ordered micro-assembly can overcome the inherent fabrication variance. We demonstrate the measurement, binning and transfer of 119 PhCCs in a single session, producing spatially ordered arrays of PhCCs, sorted by resonant wavelength. Furthermore, the rapid in-situ measurement of the devices enables measurements of the PhCCs dynamic response to the print process for the first time, showing plastic and elastic effects in the seconds to hours range.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60957-1

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