Locally-outcoupled cavity resonator having unidirectional emission

1. A locally-outcoupled optical resonator, having a substantially smooth curved outer periphery bounded by reflective walls, in which light can circulate in at least a pair of possible directions, the curved outer periphery including at least one local perturbing feature, the perturbing feature serving to asymmetrically outcouple light circulating in a first one of the pair of possible directions within the curved outer periphery, into propagating free space modes, and the perturbing feature is an indentation in the substantially smooth curved outer periphery.

2. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the perturbing feature is a protrusion extending outward from the smooth curved outer periphery, wherein the protrusion provides an optical path to outcouple light circulating in the first of the pair of directions within the locally-outcoupled optical resonator.

3. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 2 , wherein the protrusion has a lenticular surface.

4. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 2 , wherein the protrusion has a convex shape or a concave shape.

5. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 2 , wherein the protrusion has a reflective surface.

6. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , further comprising an electrode lying on a top surface of the locally-outcoupled optical resonator.

7. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 6 , wherein the electrode is a ring centered on a center of the locally-outcoupled optical resonator.

8. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 6 , wherein an outer edge of the electrode follows a perimeter of a least the locally-outcoupled optical resonator.

9. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the smooth curved outer periphery comprises at least one semicircular portion having smooth outer edges.

10. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 9 , further comprising an electrode lying on a top surface of the at least one semicircular portion.

11. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 10 , wherein the electrode has an outer edge which follows a perimeter of the at least one semicircular portion.

12. An amplifier chain comprising at least one locally-outcoupled optical resonator according to claim 9 , wherein each locally-outcoupled optical resonator acts as an amplifier of a signal input to that locally-outcoupled optical resonator.

13. The amplifier chain of claim 12 , wherein at least one locally-outcoupled optical resonator of the amplifier chain comprises semicircular portions having different radii of curvature.

14. The amplifier chain of claim 12 , wherein the at least one locally-outcoupled optical resonator comprising semicircular portions having different radii of curvature acts to amplify at least one selected mode of a multi-mode signal input to each such locally-outcoupled optical resonator.

15. The amplifier chain of claim 12 , wherein an output of one locally-outcoupled optical resonator is coupled to an input of another locally-outcoupled optical resonator by a waveguide fabricated on a surface of a substrate.

16. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the smooth curved outer periphery comprises two semicircular portions each having smooth outer edges.

17. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the locally-outcoupled optical resonator comprises a III-V nitride semiconductor heterostructure, formed on a substrate.

18. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 17 , wherein the substrate comprises at least one of sapphire, silicon carbide, GaN, AlGaN, AlN, and silicon.

19. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 17 , wherein the III-V nitride semiconductor heterostructure comprises at least one quantum well.

20. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the locally-outcoupled optical resonator comprises a heterostructure formed using at least one of GaAs, InAs, AlAs, InP, AlP, and GaP.

21. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the locally-outcoupled optical resonator comprises a heterostructure formed using at least one of InGaAs, AlGaAs, InAlAs, InGaAsP, InGaP, and InAlP.

22. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the locally-outcoupled optical resonator comprises a heterostructure formed using at least one of ZnSe, CdS, MgS, MgSe, CdSe, CdTe, ZnO, and MgO.

23. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the locally-outcoupled optical resonator comprises organic light-emitting polymers.

24. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein a central portion of the locally-outcoupled optical resonator has been removed.

25. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 24 , wherein a remaining portion of the locally-outcoupled optical resonator is an annulus.

26. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the substantially smooth curved outer periphery is formed by wet etching.

27. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the substantially smooth curved outer periphery is formed by dry etching.

28. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the substantially smooth curved outer periphery is formed by wet etching and dry etching.

29. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 1 , wherein the substantially smooth curved outer periphery is formed by at least one of wet etching, dry etching, and chemically assisted ion beam etching.

30. A locally-outcoupled optical resonator, having a substantially smooth curved outer periphery bounded by reflective walls, in which light can circulate in at least a pair of possible directions, the curved outer periphery including at least one local perturbing feature, the perturbing feature serving to asymmetrically outcouple light circulating in a first one of the pair of possible directions within the curved outer periphery, into propagating free space modes, wherein the perturbing feature is a protrusion extending outward from the smooth curved outer periphery, the protrusion provides an optical path to outcouple light circulating in the first of the pair of directions within the locally-outcoupled optical resonator, the protrusion has a reflective surface, and the reflective surface reflects light incident from a second one of the pair of possible directions, into the first one of the pair of possible directions.

31. A locally-outcoupled optical resonator, having a substantially smooth curved outer periphery bounded by reflective walls, in which light can circulate in at least a pair of possible directions, the curved outer periphery including at least one local perturbing feature, the perturbing feature serving to asymmetrically outcouple light circulating in a first one of the pair of possible directions within the curved outer periphery, into propagating free space modes, wherein:

the substantially smooth outer periphery is a spiral shape of continuously varying radius defined by the relationship:

r θ =r 0 (1+∈θ/2π)

where:

r 0 is a minimum radius,

∈ is a spiral deformation parameter, and

θ is a rotation angle about a spiral center; and

the perturbing feature is an output aperture resulting from a discontinuity in the spiral shape, at which the outer radius of the spiral changes from a value of r θ =r 0 at θ=0 to r θ =r 0 (1+∈) at θ=/2π.

32. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 31 , wherein ∈ has a value of about 0.05 to about 0.15.

33. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 31 , further comprising a concentric ring electrode lying on or over a top surface of the spiral shape, and centered on the spiral center.

34. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 33 , wherein the concentric ring electrode has a circular inner radius and a spiral-shaped outer radius.

35. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 31 , further comprising an electrode lying on or over a top surface of the spiral shape and having a spiral-shaped inner radius and a spiral-shaped outer radius.

36. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 31 , wherein the output aperture has a convex shape or a concave shape.

37. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 31 , wherein the output aperture has a surface inclined at an angle relative to a plane of the resonator.

38. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 37 , wherein the inclined surface is inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the plane of the resonator.

39. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 37 , wherein the inclined surface outcouples light through a top surface of the resonator.

40. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 37 , wherein the inclined surface outcouples light through a substrate supporting the resonator.

41. An amplifier chain, comprising at least one locally-outcoupled optical resonator according to claim 31 that generates an input signal for the amplifier chain, and further comprising at least one locally-outcoupled optical amplifier having a smooth curved outer periphery comprising at least one semicircular portion, which amplifies the input signal from the locally-outcoupled optical resonator.

42. The amplifier chain of claim 41 , wherein an output of one locally-outcoupled optical resonator is coupled to an input of another locally-outcoupled optical amplifier by a waveguide fabricated on a surface of a substrate.

43. A locally-outcoupled optical resonator, having a substantially smooth curved outer periphery bounded by reflective walls, in which light can circulate in at least a pair of possible directions, the curved outer periphery including at least one local perturbing feature, the perturbing feature serving to asymmetrically outcouple light circulating in a first one of the pair of possible directions within the curved outer periphery, into propagating free space modes, wherein the smooth curved outer periphery comprises two semicircular portions each having smooth outer edges, and the two semicircular portions are positioned so that the at least one perturbing feature is at least one output aperture formed by at least one discontinuity between the outer edges of the two semicircular portions.

44. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 43 , wherein the at least one perturbing feature is an output aperture which has a surface inclined at an angle relative to a plane of the resonator.

45. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 43 , wherein the surface of the output aperture has a convex shape or a concave shape.

46. A locally-outcoupled optical resonator, having a substantially smooth curved outer periphery bounded by reflective walls, in which light can circulate in at least a pair of possible directions, the curved outer periphery including at least one local perturbing feature, the perturbing feature serving to asymmetrically outcouple light circulating in a first one of the pair of possible directions within the curved outer periphery, into propagating free space modes, wherein the smooth curved outer periphery comprises two semicircular portions each having smooth outer edges, and the two semicircular portions have two different radii.

47. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 46 , wherein centers of the two semicircular portions are collocated.

48. The locally-outcoupled optical resonator of claim 46 , wherein the two semicircular portions are positioned so that, at a first location where the outer edges of the semicircular portions meet, the semicircular portions are flush with one another, and, at a second location where the two semicircular portions meet, the semicircular portions form an output aperture at a discontinuity between the outer edges of the semicircular portions because of the different radii of curvature.