Editing Microphotonics

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'''Microphotonics''' is a branch of [[technology]] that deals with directing light on a microscopic scale and is used in [[optical telecommunication|optical networking]]. Particularly, it refers to the branch of technology that deals with wafer-level integrated devices and systems that emit, transmit, detect, and process light along with other forms of [[radiant energy]] with [[photon]] as the [[quantum]] unit.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Applied Microphotonics|last=Jamroz|first=Wes|last2=Kruzelecky|first2=Roman|last3=Haddad|first3=Emile|publisher=CRC Press|year=2006|isbn=9780849340260|location=Boca Raton, FL|pages=1}}</ref>

Microphotonics employs at least two different materials with a large differential [[index of refraction]] to squeeze the light down to a small size.  Generally speaking, virtually all of microphotonics relies on [[Fresnel reflection]] to guide the light.  If the photons reside mainly in the higher index material, the confinement is due to [[total internal reflection]].  If the confinement is due many distributed [[Fresnel reflection]]s, the device is termed a [[photonic crystal]].  There are many different types of geometries used in microphotonics including [[Waveguide (optics)|optical waveguides]], [[Optical microcavity|optical microcavities]], and [[Arrayed waveguide grating]]s.

== Photonic crystals ==
[[Photonic crystal]]s are non-conducting materials that reflect various wavelengths of light almost perfectly. Such a crystal can be referred to as a [[perfect mirror]]. Other devices employed in microphotonics include [[micromirror]]s and photonic wire waveguides. These tools are used to "mold the flow of light", a famous phrase for describing the goal of microphotonics. The crystals serve as structures that allow the manipulation, confinement, and control of light in one, two, or three dimensions of space.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Nanotechnology Applications to Telecommunications and Networking|last=Minoli|first=Daniel|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Publication|year=2006|isbn=9780471716396|location=Hoboken, NJ|pages=151}}</ref>

== Microdisks, microtoroids, and microspheres ==
[[Image:Silica optical microdisk.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Silica optical microdisk (courtesy http://copilot.caltech.edu]]

An [[optical microdisk]], [[optical microtoroid]], or [[optical microsphere]] uses [[internal reflection]] in a circular geometry to hold on to the [[photons]].  This type of circularly symmetric [[Optical resonator|optical resonance]] is called a [[Whispering gallery mode]], after [[Lord Rayleigh]] coined the term.

== Application ==
Microphotonics has biological applications and these can be demonstrated in the case of the "biophotonic chips", which are developed to increase efficiency in terms of "photonic yield" or the collected luminescent signal emitted by fluorescent markers used in biological chips.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Nanophotonics|last=Rigneault|first=Hervé|last2=Lourtioz|first2=Jean-Michel|last3=Delalande|first3=Claude|last4=Levenson|first4=Ariel|publisher=iSTE Ltd.|year=2006|isbn=9781905209286|location=London|pages=81|language=en}}</ref>

Currently, microphotonics technology is also being developed to replace electronics devices and bio-compatible intracellular devices.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Fikouras|first1=Alasdair H.|last2=Schubert|first2=Marcel|last3=Karl|first3=Markus|last4=Kumar|first4=Jothi D.|last5=Powis|first5=Simon J.|last6=Di Falco|first6=Andrea|last7=Gather|first7=Malte C.|date=16 November 2018|title=Non-obstructive intracellular nanolasers|journal=Nature Communications|volume=9|issue=1|doi=10.1038/s41467-018-07248-0|arxiv=1806.03366|pmid=30446665|pmc=6240115|page=4817|bibcode=2018NatCo...9.4817F}}</ref> For instance, the long-standing goal of an all-optical [[Router (computing)|router]] would eliminate electronic bottlenecks, speeding up the network. Perfect mirrors are being developed for use in [[fiber-optic cable]]s.

== See also ==
*[[Photonics]]

== References ==
<references />

{{Photonics}}

[[Category:Microtechnology]]
[[Category:Photonics]]

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