Maple-seed-inspired asymmetric microdisk resonators.

Abstract

Microdisk resonators are a cornerstone of integrated photonics, enabling advances in on-chip optical information processing, yet the field is primarily based on conventional symmetric architectures. The potential of biomimetic asymmetric designs remains largely unexplored. Here, we present asymmetric geometries for microdisk resonators inspired by maple seed profiles. These structures provide additional operational capabilities beyond those of conventional symmetric designs. Our approach demonstrates theoretically how such asymmetric disk geometries enable coupling strength control in nanoscale monolithic pillar structures. The resulting resonators offer versatile platforms for scalable mechanical networks through strain-mediated coupling. Their inherent directional anisotropy facilitates selective coupling across diverse geometric scales. This approach demonstrates the potential of nature-inspired asymmetric designs in advancing mechanical network technologies for integrated photonic systems.