Fourier modal methods for modeling optical dielectric waveguides

This work contains new materials relative to the use of Fourier expansion techniques, also called plane-wave expansion techniques, for modelling normal modes of optical waveguides. Two rigorous fully vectorial methods are presented and benchmarked for a classical rib waveguide geometry well studied in the literature. The first method relies on a pole extraction and on a one-dimensional expansion scheme. A four-digit accuracy for the normalized propagation constant B is obtained for the dominant TE and TM modes of the benchmark problem and for a small number of retained Fourier harmonics. Better accuracy is anticipated for larger truncation ranks. The second method relies on a two-dimensional expansion scheme in Fourier space and provides a three-digit accuracy for the normalized propagation constant.     

Spectrally resolved resonant propulsion of dielectric microspheres

Use of resonant light forces opens up a unique approach to high‐volume sorting of microspherical resonators with much higher uniformity of resonances compared to that in coupled‐cavity structures obtained by the best semiconductor technologies. In this work, the spectral response of the propulsion forces exerted on polystyrene microspheres near tapered microfibers is directly observed. The measurements are based on the control of the detuning between the tunable laser and internal resonances in each sphere with accuracy higher than the width of the resonances. The measured spectral shape of the propulsion forces correlates well with the whispering‐gallery mode resonances in the microspheres. The existence of a stable radial trap for the microspheres propelled along the taper is demonstrated. The giant force peaks observed for 20‐μm spheres are found to be in a good agreement with a model calculation demonstrating an efficient use of the light momentum for propelling the microspheres.

     

Ti：LiNbO3光波导导模的场分布

给出了Ti扩散LiNbO_3条波导任意阶导模场分布的试探解.通过变分法分析,不但可以合理地确定其中的待定参数,而且也得到了相应导模传播常数的近似值.与扩展的有效折射率方法比较:这种解不但在函数形式上简单,待定常数确定方便,而且具有精度高的优点.还可以得到等效一维波导折射率分布的解析表达式.     

涂覆石墨烯的椭圆形电介质纳米线光波导的模式特性分析

设计了一种涂覆石墨烯的椭圆形电介质纳米线光波导.采用分离变量法,在椭圆柱坐标系中,借助Mathieu函数,得到了色散方程.通过数值求解色散方程,可以得到模式的有效折射率和场分布,从而得到模式的传播长度.研究了工作波长、结构参数以及石墨烯的费米能对模式特性的影响,并给出了前五个模式的品质因数.计算表明,当波长从4.3μm增加到8.8μm,这5个模式的有效折射率的实部减小,基模和一阶模的传播长度增大,二阶模的传播长度先增大后减小.当改变纳米线结构参数半长轴和半短轴时,对基模和一阶模的模式特性影响较小,对二阶模的模式特性影响较大.当石墨烯的费米能从0.45 eV增加到0.72 eV时,有效折射率的实部减小,传播长度可以达到2μm左右.分离变量法得到的结果与有限元方法得到的结果完全一致.本文工作可以为基于涂覆石墨烯的电介质纳米线的光波导的设计、制作和应用提供理论基础.     

Rigorous analysis of optical forces between two dielectric planar waveguides immersed in dielectric fluid media

This work presents a rigorous analysis of optical forces between planar waveguides immersed in an arbitrary background medium. This approach exploits the Minkowski stress tensor formulation, which is compared with a normalized version of the dispersion relation method, showing excellent results agreement for different dielectric fluid media. Due to slot‐waveguide effect, optical forces from TM modes are more sensitive to changes in the fluid refractive index than the TE counterparts. Furthermore, the repulsive optical force from the antisymmetric TM1 mode becomes stronger for higher refractive indexes, whereas the attractive force of the symmetric TM0 mode becomes weaker. The methodology and results presented in this work provide a rigorous analysis of nano‐optomechanical devices actuated by optical forces in a broad range of materials and applications. Therefore, this study may impact areas of light‐induced interactions presenting novel optofluidic and optomechanical functionalities, thus finding applications in nanoscale transport, sensing and manipulation.

     

Coupling losses in pigtailed optoelectronic modules due to fiber stresses

In pigtailed optoelectronic modules, a major source of optical coupling loss due to thermal or mechanical deformations of the assemblies is the stress exerted on the fiber in the package between its holding points. The stresses exerted on the fiber, the resulting strains on the holding points, and the risk of fiber fracture are examined using analytical models on the deformations undergone by the fiber. Optimization of fabrication assembly technology with regard to the risks of fiber fracture and optical coupling losses represents a tradeoff between these two risks.     

Construction of the refractive index profiles for few-mode planar optical waveguides

We present a nondestructive technique to predict the refractive index profiles of isotropic planar waveguides, on which a thin gold film is deposited to as the cladding. The negative dielectric constant of the metal results in significant differences of effective indices between TE and TM modes. The two polarized modes and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with abundant information of the surface index can be used to construct the refractive index profiles of single-mode and two-mode waveguides at a fixed wavelength.     

Full-vectorial analysis of optical waveguides by the finite difference method based on polynomial interpolation

Based on the polynomial interpolation, a new finite difference (FD) method in solving the full-vectorial guided-modes for step-index optical waveguides is proposed. The discontinuities of the normal components of the electric field across abrupt dielectric interfaces are considered in the absence of the limitations of scalar and semivectorial approximation, and the present FD scheme can be applied to both uniform and non-uniform mesh grids. The modal propagation constants and field distributions for buried rectangular waveguides and optical rib waveguides are presented. The hybrid nature of the vectorial modes is demonstrated and the singular behaviours of the minor field components in the corners are observed. Moreover, solutions are in good agreement with those published early, which tests the validity of the present approach.     

Dispersion and lifetimes of electromagnetic modes attached to strongly textured slab waveguides

The influence of strong, two-dimensional (2D) periodic texture on the dispersion and lifetimes of resonant electromagnetic modes localized in the vicinity of thin (80 to 155 nm) GaAs membranes supported on thick (1 to 2 m) wet-oxidized AlAs cladding layers is reported. A method of extracting this information by fitting Fano-like features in broadband specular reflectivity spectra is described in detail, and applied to samples containing both triangular and square 2D lattices. A new and easier method of probing the properties of these modes is also demonstrated. It involves incorporating a superlattice of defects in the principal crystal lattice, and monitoring the defect diffraction spectrum, rather than the specular reflectivity.     

Whispering gallery modes in intrinsic TiO2 microspheres coupling to the defect‐related photoluminescence after visible excitation

Defect‐caused visible photoluminescence after visible excitation in anatase TiO₂ microresonators couples to whispering gallery modes (WGMs). Spherical anatase TiO₂ of a radius between 1.5 µm and 4 µm have been prepared by a sol–gel technique based on hydrolysis of titanium tetrabutoxide. The observation of WGMs in intrinsic anatase TiO₂ without additional dopant offers new perspectives for the localisation of light at TiO₂ surfaces for the design of photocatalysts.

WGMs show up as narrow peaks in the photoluminescence spectra of TiO₂ microparticles after visible excitation.     

Analytic approach to the thermal Casimir force between metal and dielectric

The analytic asymptotic expressions for the Casimir free energy, pressure and entropy at low temperature in the configuration of one metal and one dielectric plate are obtained. For this purpose we develop the perturbation theory in a small parameter proportional to the product of the separation between the plates and the temperature. This is done using both the simplified model of an ideal metal and of a dielectric with constant dielectric permittivity and for the realistic case of the metal and dielectric with frequency-dependent dielectric permittivities. The analytic expressions for all related physical quantities at high temperature are also provided. The obtained analytic results are compared with numerical computations and good agreement is found. We demonstrate for the first time that the Lifshitz theory, when applied to the configuration of metal-dielectric, satisfies the requirements of thermodynamics if the static dielectric permittivity of a dielectric plate is finite. If it is infinitely large, the Lifshitz formula is shown to violate the Nernst heat theorem. The implications of these results for the thermal quantum field theory in Matsubara formulation and for the recent measurements of the Casimir force between metal and semiconductor surfaces are discussed.     

Analytic approach to the small-signal frequency response of saturated semiconductor optical amplifiers using multisection model

An analytic solution derived by multisection model to the small-signal frequency response (SSFR) of wavelength conversion based on cross-gain modulation (XGM) in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) is presented. The result contains details that can affect the characteristics of SSFR significantly more than previous ones.