High-finesse (Al,Ga)As interference filters grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract

We have measured finesse values of at least 160 in (Al,Ga)As Fabry–Perot interference filters grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Losses are low and the finesses are close to predicted values, suggesting that with additional mirror layers much higher finesse should be achievable. This has important implications in the development of resonator-based low-energy photonic logic devices and lasers for information processing and communication. Formulas for calculating the finesse and other parameters such as the effective optical thickness of the cavity in such structures are also given.