Radiation hardness of high-Q silicon nitride microresonators for space compatible integrated optics

Integrated optics has distinct advantages for applications in space because it integrates many elements onto a monolithic, robust chip. As the development of different building blocks for integrated optics advances, it is of interest to answer the important question of their resistance with respect to ionizing radiation. Here we investigate effects of proton radiation on high-Q (O(10(6))) silicon nitride microresonators formed by a waveguide ring. We show that the irradiation with high-energy protons has no lasting effect on the linear optical losses of the microresonators. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America