Very low-refractive-index optical thin films consisting of an array of SiO2 nanorods

The refractive-index contrast in dielectric multilayer structures, optical resonators, and photonic crystals is an important figure of merit that creates a strong demand for high-quality thin films with a low refractive index. A SiO2 nanorod layer with low refractive index of n = 1.08, to our knowledge the lowest ever reported in thin-film materials, is grown by oblique-angle electron-beam deposition of SiO2. A single-pair distributed Bragg reflector employing a SiO2 nanorod layer is demonstrated to have enhanced reflectivity, showing the great potential of low-refractive-index films for applications in photonic structures and devices.     

Design of a highly sensitive photonic crystal refractive index sensor incorporating ring-shaped GaAs cavity

Two highly sensitive optical sensor topologies are proposed and simulated in this paper. The proposed structures are optimized to provide better performance characteristics such as sensitivity, detection limit, and quality factor. They are based on two-dimensional photonic crystals consisting of rectangular arrays of GaAs rods in SiO₂ substrates. Such lattices have bandgaps for transverse magnetic modes. Two-dimensional finite difference time domain and plane wave expansion methods are used for the simulation and analysis of the refractive index sensors and particle swarm optimization method is used to optimize the structural parameters. The designed structures show a high sensitivity to refractive index variations. They are able to detect refractive indices from 1.33 to 1.5. An excellent figure of merit equal to 737 RIU^?1 is observed for the proposed structure and a significant improvement is observed compared to the structures reported in the literature.     

Higher-order mode investigations by intermodal interference in a dual-core photonic crystal fiber

This article presents an investigation of the linear optical properties of a dual-core photonic crystal fiber with a square lattice made of a multicomponent glass in a second communication window. An experimental method based on intermodal interference was used to determine the effective refractive indices of higher-order modes, with knowledge of the fundamental mode dispersion. The effective refractive indices were also determined by an FDTD-based simulation and the obtained values provided a good agreement in comparison to the experimental results. The obtained results help to clarify the nonlinear spectral transformation processes observed in the same fiber at propagation in the higher-order modes.     

Single laser exposure fabrication of diamond-like 3-dimensional photonic crystal microstructures using circularly polarized light

Phase tunable multi-level diffractive optical elements define an attractive approach for single laser exposure fabrication of 3-dimensional photonic crystal microstructures. The significant advantage of these multi-level diffractive optical elements over two-level diffractive optical elements is the flexibility of fabricating a wide range of 3-dimensional periodic structures by manipulating the relative phase of different diffracted beams. Here, phase tuning was applied to demonstrate fabrication of a hybrid 3-dimensional structure intermediate between previously reported diamond-like Woodpile-type structure of tetragonal symmetry and structure having body-centered-tetragonal lattice symmetry. Circularly polarized light was applied for the first time to balance the diffraction order efficiencies and improve the structural uniformity. Design guidelines are presented for generating diamond-like photonic crystal template that possesses complete photonic bandgap when inverted with high refractive index materials.     

无序一维三元光子晶体的带隙展宽

Bandgap properties of disordered one-dimensional (1D) ternary photonic crystals are investigated by optical transfer matrix method for the first time . The results show that disordered structure provides strikingly extended bandgap compared with the corresponding periodic structure. The more ingredient of disordered dielectric multilayers adopted in the calculation, the wider stop band will be obtained. The influence of degree of disorder D and contrast of high and low refractive indices to the photonic bandgap are also calculated and discussed.     

立方晶相HfO2电子结构与光学性质的第一性原理计算

利用密度泛函理论框架下的第一性原理平面波超软赝势方法计算了立方晶相二氧化铪(c-HfO2)的电子结构,得到了c-HfO2的总念密度、分波态密度和能带结构.经带隙校正后,计算了c-HfO2的光学线性响应函数随光子能最的变化关系,包括复介电函数,反射率、复折射率以及光学吸收系数,并从理论上给出了c-HfO2材料光学性 质与电子结构的关系.经比较发现,对c-HfO2的电子结构和光学性质的计算结果与已有的实验数据和其它理论研究吻合得较好,从而为c-HfO2光电材料的设计与应用提供了理论依据.同时,计算结果也表明采用密度泛函理论的广义梯度近似来计算和预测c-HfO2材料的电子结构和光学性质是比较可靠的.     

Refractive index sensor based on high-order surface plasmon resonance in gold nanofilm coated photonic crystal fiber

We propose a novel kind of wide-range refractive index optical sensor based on photonic crystal fiber(PCF) covered with nano-ring gold film.The refractive index sensing performance of the PCF sensor is analyzed and simulated by the finite element method(FEM).The refractive index liquid is infiltrated into the cladding air hole of the PCF.By comparing the sensing performance of two kinds of photonic crystal fiber structures, a wide range and high sensitivity structure is optimized.The surface plasmon resonance(SPR) excitation material is chose as gold, and large gold nanorings are embedded around the first cladding air hole of the PCF.The higher order surface plasmon modes are generated in this designed optical fiber structure.The resonance coupling between the fundamental mode and the 5 th order surface plasmon polariton(SPP)modes is excited when the phase matching condition is matched.Therefore, the 3 rd loss peaks appear obvious red-shift with the increase of the analyte refractive index, which shows a remarkable polynomial fitting law.The fitnesses of two structures are 0.99 and 0.98, respectively.When the range of refractive indices is from 1.40 to 1.43, the two kinds of sensors have high linear sensitivities of 1604 nm/RIU and 3978 nm/RIU, respectively.     

带多孔硅表面缺陷腔的半无限光子晶体Tamm态及其折射率传感机理

结合表面缺陷半无限光子晶体Tamm态与多孔硅光学传感机理,在光子晶体表面缺陷腔中引入多孔硅,并利用其高效的承载机制,提出基于多孔硅表面缺陷光子晶体Tamm态的折射率传感结构.在半无限光子晶体中缺陷腔与原来的周期性分层介质结构的界面上存在Tamm态,通过入射角度调制使其在缺陷腔中实现多次全反射,并在缺陷腔中加入吸收介质,使谐振波长在缺陷腔中完成衰荡,从而在反射谱中得到缺陷峰;调整光子晶体参数,使缺陷峰的半高全宽得到优化,提高其品质因数(Q值);在此基础上,根据Goos-H?nchen相位移与谐振波长的关系,建立由待测样本折射率改变所导致的多孔硅表面吸附层有效折射率变化与缺陷峰值波长漂移之间的关系模型,并分析其折射率传感特性.结果表明,此生物传感结构Q值为1429,灵敏度为546.67 nm/RIU,证明了该传感结构的有效性,可为高Q值和高灵敏度折射率传感器的设计提供一定的理论参考.     

Method for retrieving the refractive index of ordered particles from data on the photonic band gap

A method for retrieving the refractive index of spherical particles arranged into ordered structures is proposed. It is based on the solution of the inverse problem using data on the photonic band gap. The solution has been obtained within the quasi-crystalline approximation of the multiple wave scattering theory and the transfer-matrix method. Quantitative results are presented for systems of silicon oxide particles. The effective refractive indices of synthetic opal particles have been found from the available experimental data on the spectral position of the photonic band gap. The described technique is applicable for retrieving not only the refractive index of particles but also other characteristics of ordered particulate structures from the coherent transmittance spectra.     

光子晶体异质结耦合波导光开关

以二维三角晶格光子晶体为研究对象,在该光子晶体中引入两行平行的单模线缺陷波导,以一行耦合介质柱为间距,通过调节部分耦合介质柱的折射率,构筑了光子晶体异质结耦合波导光开关结构。利用平面波展开法和定向耦合原理计算了在不同入射光频率下,缺陷波导间耦合介质柱的折射率不同时的耦合长度,确定了合适的光子晶体异质结耦合波导光开关的结构参数。利用时域有限差分法研究了该光开关中耦合介质柱的折射率变化及异质结构介质柱的位置分布对光信号输出路径的影响。结果表明,通过改变该结构中耦合介质柱的折射率可以改变光的输出路径,可实现光的开关行为。并且异质结构介质柱位置的随机分布对该光开关的影响不大,有助于光子晶体新型滤波器、定向耦合器、波分复用器以及光开关等光子器件的研究。     

Design and fabrication of two-dimensional photonic crystals with predetermined nonlinear optical properties

By probing the resonances between a photonic band and an external laser field and their nonlinear changes in angle-resolved reflectivity, we show experimental evidence that the nonlinear optical changes in a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide with a Kerr nonlinearity are critically dependent on the dispersion nature and the group velocity of the photonic bands. The results agree well with the behavior predicted from band structures, indicating that the design of nonlinear optical properties of material systems is realistically possible by band dispersion and group velocity engineering.     

Modeling of the optical properties of porous silicon photonic crystals in the visible spectral range

Optical devices based on photonic crystals are of great interest because they can be efficiently used in laser physics and biosensing. Photonic crystals allow one to control the propagation of electromagnetic waves and to change the emission characteristics of luminophores embedded into photonic structures. One of the most interesting materials for developing one-dimensional photonic crystals is porous silicon. However, an important problem in application of this material is the control of the refractive index of layers by changing their porosity, as well as the refractive index dispersion. In addition, it is important to have the possibility of modeling the optical properties of structures to choose precisely select the fabrication parameters and produce one-dimensional photonic crystals with prescribed properties. In order to solve these problems, we used a mathematical model based on the transfer matrix method, using the Bruggeman model, and on the dispersion of silicon refractive index. We fabricated microcavities by electrochemical etching of silicon, with parameters determined by the proposed model, and measured their reflection spectra. The calculated results showed good agreement with experimental data. The model proposed allowed us to achieve a microcavity Q-factor of 160 in the visible region.     

Direct Monitoring of Thickness and Refractive Index of Optical Thin Film Deposited on Fiber End-face

We propose a system for depositing thin films on waveguides which enables low-temperature deposition and precise control of the refractive index and film thickness. It is composed of a conventional ion-beam sputtering (IBS) system and a new system for directly monitoring film characteristics during deposition. We controlled refractive indices over a wide range from 1.52 to 1.97 by moving the sputtering targets (SiO₂ and Si₃N₄) in the IBS system. The refractive index or film thickness was in-situ monitored by observing the optical power reflected from the end-face of a monitoring fiber set in the deposition chamber. Antireflection coating films were successfully deposited on a fiber end-face and a laser diode chip facet with low reflectivity from 0.05 to 0.07%. This deposition system is attractive for constructing highly functional optical devices for future photonic networks.     

Colour characterization of a Morpho butterfly wing-scale using a high accuracy nonstandard finite-difference time-domain method

In certain species of moths and butterflies iridescent colours arise from subwavelength diffractive structures. The optical properties of such a structure depend strongly on wavelength, incidence angle and state of polarization of illuminating radiation and on the viewing angle. Such structures can be analyzed only by solving Maxwell's equations, but since analytical solutions exist for only a few simple, highly symmetric structures numerical methods must be employed. We investigated the optical properties of butterfly wings in two dimensions by simulating a scale structure using a high accuracy version of nonstandard finite-difference time-domain algorithm. The simulated structure is a computer-generated model of a certain quasi-periodic arrangement of tree-like structures observed in the transmission electron micrograph (TEM) image of a transverse cross-section of a single scale from Morpho butterfly wings. We assumed that the structure is made of a slightly lossy dielectric material. We checked the accuracy and validity of our approach, by computing scattered field intensities due to an infinite cylinder and compared the results with analytical calculations using Mie theory. Next we deduced the wavelength dependence of a real refractive index and an absorption coefficient for the ground scales on the wings of Morpho sulkowskyi butterfly by computing the reflectivity and transmissivity spectrum of a scale at normal incidence, and comparing with experimental measurements. Finally, we calculated the tristimulus values and corresponding colour coordinates for various viewing directions from the scale's far-field reflectivity and transmissivity spectra to characterize its colour rendering abilities.     

Omnidirectional reflection in one-dimensional ternary photonic crystals and photonic heterostructures

Designing dielectric systems to create omnidirectional band gaps (OBGs) is an attractive topic in the field of photonic band gap (PBG) structures. In this Letter, we propose a new approach to create OBGs by ternary photonic heterostructures (TPHs) composed of three kinds of materials with different refractive indices and obtain the formulae of the structures of TPHs, i.e., those of the thicknesses of materials and the number of sub-ternary photonic crystals. It may provide a powerful technique for designing the structures being able to produce OBGs by use of usual materials, lowcost materials, and materials with low refractive indices, etc.     

Effective optical constants in stratified metal-dielectric metameterial

Effective optical constants of stratified metal-dielectric metameterial are presented. The effective constants are determined by the two-complex reflectivity method (TCRM). The TCRM reveals the full components of the effective permittivity and permeability tensors and indicates the remarkable anisotropy of metallic and dielectric components below the effective plasma frequency. On the other hand, above the plasma frequency, one of the effective refractive indices takes a positive value less than unity and is associated with small loss. The photonic states are confirmed by the distribution of electromagnetic fields.     

All-optical switching on a silicon chip

We present an experimental demonstration of fast all-optical switching on a silicon photonic integrated device by employing a strong light-confinement structure to enhance sensitivity to small changes in the refractive index. By use of a control light pulse with energy as low as 40 pJ, the optical transmission of the structure is modulated by more than 97% with a time response of 450 ps.     

Design of Narrowband Optical Filters Using Binary Number Sequence Photonic Crystals

A theory to design narrow band optical filters by using a new photonic crystal structure is presented. This new photonic crystal structure is composed of low index layers and high index layers arranged in mod. 4 up and down binary number sequence. The new structure exhibits narrow transmission peaks in the forbidden frequency gap region with high optical transmission (greater than 99.98%) at C.W.D.M. (Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing) center wavelengths. The proposed filters use only 8 layers. These new binary number sequence photonic crystal narrowband optical filters are much smaller in size, lower in cost and easier to fabricate as compared to narrowband photonic crystal optical filters based on defect Fractal Cantor multilayers, suggested recently by a group of researchers.     

Multimodal and birefringence effects in magnetic photonic crystals

Photon trapping in magnetic photonic crystals leads to an enhanced Faraday rotation by increasing the optical path-length of the transmitted beam. The integration of these structures into on-chip photonic circuits, while advantageous from the point of view of component connectivity in multifunctional systems, faces several challenges. Photonic waveguide structures in magnetic films may support more than one mode depending on the waveguide thickness and refractive index. Differences in effective refractive indices between TE and TM modes engender phase disparities, thus hindering the Faraday response of the material. The effects of birefringence and multimodality on the performance of waveguide magnetic photonic crystals in magnetic garnets are addressed in paper. In particular, Faraday rotation enhancement in magnetophotonic crystals in the presence of waveguide birefringence and modal multiplicity on the photonic bandgap spectral response are discussed. Multiple stopbands and significant polarization rotation are observed in multimode Bi-substituted iron garnet film waveguides with single-defect photonic crystal structures. The photonic crystals for this study are patterned on ridge waveguide films by focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling.