A near-field actuated optical nanocavity

We demonstrate here that switching and tuning of a nanocavity resonance can be achieved by approaching a sub-micrometer tip inside its evanescent near-field. The resonance energy is tuned over a wide spectral range (Δλ/λ∼10-3) without significant deterioration of the cavity peak-transmittance and of the resonance linewidth. Such a result is achieved by taking benefits from a weak tip-cavity interaction regime in which the tip behaves as a pure optical path length modulator. © 2008 Optical Society of America