Enhanced stimulated Raman scattering in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides

We investigate for the first time, to our knowledge, the enhancement of the stimulated Raman scattering in slow-light silicon-on-insulator (SOI) photonic crystal line defect waveguides. By applying the Bloch-Floquet formalism to the guided modes in a planar photonic crystal, we develop a formalism that relates the intensity of the downshifted Stokes signal to the pump intensity and the modal group velocities. The formalism is then applied to two prospective schemes for enhanced stimulated Raman generation in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides. The results demonstrate a maximum factor of 104(66,000) enhancement with respect to SOI channel waveguides.     

Quantum information processing through quantum dots in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides

We propose a scheme to realize controlled phase-flip gate between two single photons through a single quantum dot (QD) in a slow-light photonic crystal (PhC) waveguide. Enhanced Purcell factor and large β-factor lead to high gate fidelity over broadband frequencies compared to cavity-assisted system. The excellent physical integration of this PhC waveguide system provides tremendous potential for large-scale quantum information processing. Then we generalize to a multi-atom controlled phase-flip gate based on waveguide system in Sagnac interferometer. Through the Sagnac interferometer, the single photon adds the phase-flip operation on the atomic state without changing the photonic state. The controlled phase-flip gate on the atoms can be successfully constructed with high fidelity in one step, even without detecting the photon.     

Effect of multiphoton absorption and free carriers in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides

We examine the effects of multiphoton absorption, free carriers, and disorder-induced linear scattering in slow-light photonic crystal waveguides. We derive an analytic formulation for self-phase modulation including the group velocity scaling of the nonlinear phase shift in materials limited by three-photon absorption as a representative nonlinear process. We investigate the role of free carriers and derive an approximate critical intensity at which these effects begin to strongly modify the optical field. This critical intensity is employed to determine an optimal group index for the self-phase modulation in the slow-light devices. These observations are confirmed with numerical modeling.     

Third-harmonic generation via nonlinear Raman-Nath diffraction in nonlinear photonic crystal

We report on the observation of multiple third-harmonic conical waves generated in an annular periodically poled nonlinear photonic crystal. We show that the conical beams are formed as a result of the cascading effect involving two parametric processes that satisfy either the transverse and/or longitudinal phase-patching conditions. This is the first experimental observation of third-harmonic generation based on nonlinear Raman-Nath diffraction.     

Experimental observation of evanescent modes at the interface to slow-light photonic crystal waveguides

We experimentally study the fields close to an interface between two photonic crystal waveguides that have different dispersion properties. After the transition from a waveguide in which the group velocity of light is v(g) ~ c/10 to a waveguide in which it is v(g) ~ c/100, we observe a gradual increase in the field intensity and the lateral spreading of the mode. We attribute this evolution to the existence of a weakly evanescent mode that exponentially decays away from the interface. We compare this to the situation where the transition between the waveguides only leads to a minor change in group velocity and show that, in that case, the evolution is absent. Furthermore, we apply novel numerical mode extraction techniques to confirm experimental results.     

Three-dimensional mid-infrared photonic circuits in chalcogenide glass

We report the fabrication of single-mode buried channel waveguides for the whole mid-IR transparency range of chalcogenide sulphide glasses (λ ≤ 11 μm), by means of direct laser writing. We have explored the potential of this technology by fabricating a prototype three-dimensional three-beam combiner for future application in stellar interferometry that delivers a monochromatic interference visibility of 99.89% at 10.6 μm and an ultrahigh bandwidth (3-11 μm) interference visibility of 21.3%. These results demonstrate that it is possible to harness the whole transparency range offered by chalcogenide glasses on a single on-chip instrument by means of direct laser writing, a finding that may be of key significance in future technologies such as astrophotonics and biochemical sensing.     

Strong self-phase modulation in planar chalcogenide glass waveguides

Single-mode planar waveguides were fabricated from chalcogenide glass compounds with large Kerr nonlinearities. Strong self-phase modulation of subpicosecond pulses along with low linear and nonlinear absorption losses demonstrates the potential for ultrafast, low-power, all-optical processing applications.     

Enhanced photonic crystal cavity-waveguide coupling using local slow-light engineering

This Letter introduces an enhanced cavity-waveguide coupling architecture based upon slow-light engineering in a two-port photonic crystal system. After analyzing the system transmittance using coupled-mode theory, the system is probed experimentally and shown to have increased transmittance due to the enhanced cavity-waveguide coupling. Such a coupling architecture may facilitate next-generation planar lightwave circuitry such as onchip quantum information processing or high precision light-matter sensing applications.     

Silicon-based two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguides

A review of the properties of silicon-based two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals is given, essentially infinite 2D photonic crystals made from macroporous silicon and photonic crystal slabs based on silicon-on-insulator basis. We discuss the bulk photonic crystal properties with particular attention to the light cone and its impact on the band structure. The application for wave guiding is discussed for both material systems, and compared to classical waveguides based on index-guiding. Losses of resonant waveguide modes above the light line are discussed in detail.     

Optical trirefringence in photonic crystal waveguides

We demonstrate that 2D photonic crystals can possess optical trirefringence in which there are six field orientations for which linear incident light is not perturbed on reflection or transmission. Such a property is rigorously forbidden in homogeneous nonmagnetic dielectrics which can possess only optical birefringence. We experimentally demonstrate this phenomena in silicon-based mesostructures formed from photonic crystal waveguides embedded in a Fabry-Perot cavity. Multirefringence is controlled by the presence of submicron dielectric patterning and is well explained by an exact scattering matrix theory.     

Planar defects in three-dimensional chalcogenide glass photonic crystals

Here we report on the direct laser writing fabrication of Fabry-Perot-type planar microcavities in a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal (PhC) embedded within a high-refractive nonlinear chalcogenide glass (ChG) film. The fabricated planar microcavities in a nonlinear ChG 3D PhC facilitate the observation of resonant modes inside the stop gap. The experimental results show that the length of the planar cavity can be well controlled by the fabrication power and thus be used to tune the defect modes. The tunability of the observed defect modes is confirmed by the theoretical prediction.     

Single-mode low-loss chalcogenide glass waveguides for the mid-infrared

We demonstrate the design, fabrication, and characterization of single-mode low-loss waveguides for mid-infrared (MIR) wavelengths. Planar waveguide structures were fabricated from multilayer thin films of arsenic-based chalcogenide glasses followed by the creation of channel waveguides by using the photodarkening effect. Propagation losses as low as 0.5 dB/cm were measured for a quantum cascade laser end-fire coupled into the waveguides. This is a first step toward the design and fabrication of integrated optical components for MIR applications.     

Numerical analysis of the As2Se3 chalcogenide glass multi-ring photonic crystal fiber

A novel kind of As₂Se₃ chalcogenide glass multi-ring photonic crystal fiber is proposed. The characteristics of multi-ring photonic crystal fiber have been studied by the finite element method. Compared with another two kinds of single-core photonic crystal fibers, the multi-ring PCF can make the perfect combination of the effective mode area, the nonlinearity coefficient and multi-zero dispersion. It can achieve high power supercontinuum generation in middle infrared band; It also can be used in high-power pulsed laser fiber amplifier and high-power ultra-short pulse laser transmission in far infrared band.     

新型单模大模场红外硫系玻璃光子晶体光纤设计研究

大模场光子晶体光纤在高功率激光传输、光纤放大器、光纤激光器中的广泛应用, 使其受到研究者的广泛关注.硫系玻璃在红外波段(1–20μm)具有优良透过性能, 且具有折射率高(2.0–3.5)、声子能量低(小于350 cm^-1)、 组分可调等特性, 成为制备红外光纤的理想材料. 本文设计一种基于Ge₂₀Sb₁₅Se₆₅硫系玻璃基质的新型单模传输、低损耗、超大模场面积光子晶体光纤结构, 经理论验证其在λ =10.6 μm处基模限制损耗远低于0.1 dB/m, 高阶限制模损耗大于2 dB/m, 模场面积约为13333 μm². 关键词： 硫系玻璃 大模场面积 红外光子晶体光纤 结构设计     

中红外高保偏硫系玻璃双芯光子晶体光纤耦合特性研究

设计了一种中红外硫系玻璃双芯光子晶体光纤,利用多极法和模式耦合基本理论研究了这种光纤的耦合特性.数值模拟发现,空气孔间距Λ = 5.4 μm,空气孔半径为r = 1.35 μm,空气填充率d/Λ = 0.5的光纤,在归一化波长λ/Λ = 2.04 μm处双折射可以达到0.551×10^-2,在归一化波长λ/Λ = 0.93 μm处x偏振方向的耦合长度为145.32 μm,y偏振方向的耦合长 关键词： 双芯光子晶体光纤 硫系玻璃 双折射 耦合长度     

Advanced impedance matching in photonic crystal waveguides

We demonstrate that the dispersion of guided propagating modes in certain Photonic Crystal Waveguides (PCWGs) can be kept constant when the waveguide’s structure changes along the propagation direction. This suggests that the principle of constant group velocity matching may be utilized to improve impedance matching between different types of PCWGs while at the same time providing significant design flexibility. We illustrate this principle through the design of several efficient coupling structures between two different PCWGs via a local density of states and Fourier transform analysis of the associate electromagnetic fields. The couplers consist of heterostructures whose individual sections exhibit rather distinct structural parameters. Furthermore, we compare these structures to an adiabatic coupler.     

Anomalous propagation loss in photonic crystal waveguides

Propagation loss can occur in photonic crystal waveguides without complete optical confinement. We employ a highly efficient transfer-matrix method which allows for accurate and reliable extraction of the propagation loss even at an extremely low level. The results for a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide shows that the loss exponentially decays via the waveguide wall thickness. An anomalous phenomenon is found where the loss for guided modes near the upper band gap edge can be several orders of magnitude smaller than that for modes in the middle of the band gap. This anomaly can be well explained by the localization degree of guided modes at different frequency domains.     

Modes of coupled photonic crystal waveguides

We consider the modes of coupled photonic crystal waveguides. We find that the fundamental modes of these structures can be either even or odd, in contrast with the behavior in coupled conventional waveguides, in which the fundamental mode is always even. We explain this finding using an asymptotic model that is valid for long wavelengths.     

Coupling into slow-mode photonic crystal waveguides

We study efficient injectors for coupling light from z-invariant ridge waveguides into slow Bloch modes of single-row defect photonic crystal waveguides. Two-dimensional vectorial computations performed with a Bloch mode theory approach predict that very high efficiencies (>90%) can be achieved for injector lengths of only a few wavelengths in length, even for small group velocities in the range of c/100-c/400. This result suggests that photonic crystal devices operating with slow waves can be interfaced with classical waveguides without sacrificing compactness.     

Efficient couplers for photonic crystal waveguides

We use two-dimensional simulations to study the design of tapers to provide efficient, low reflection coupling between a waveguide in a two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) and free space. We find that, largely independent of the PC parameters, or of the length and width of the tapered region, the same type of concave, horn-shaped tapering profile is optimal for coupling from the waveguide into free space, and significantly out-performs the widely used linear taper. We also find that optimal tapers can radiate nearly Gaussian beams, and therefore they can also provide efficient coupling of Gaussian beams from free space into the PC waveguide. These properties are better exhibited by rod-type PCs with E_z polarization than by hole-type PCs with H_z polarization. This study of taper couplers exemplifies a design strategy for photonic circuits which optimizes positioning of the cylinders immediately surrounding the light path, and then builds the rest of the crystal structure around these cylinders.