Atomic spectroscopy and quantum optics in hollow‐core waveguides

Atomic spectroscopy is a well‐established, integral part of the physicist's toolbox with an extremely broad range of applications ranging from astronomy to single atom quantum optics. While highly desirable, miniaturization of atomic spectroscopy techniques on the chip scale was hampered by the apparent incompatibility of conventional solid‐state integrated optics and gaseous media. Here, the state of the art of atomic spectroscopy in hollow‐core optical waveguides is reviewed The two main approaches to confining light in low index atomic vapors are described: hollow‐core photonic crystal fiber (HC‐PCF) and planar antiresonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROWs). Waveguide design, fabrication, and characterization are reviewed along with the current performance as compact atomic spectroscopy devices. The article specifically focuses on the realization of quantum interference effects in alkali atoms which may enable radically new optical devices based on low‐level nonlinear interactions on the single photon level for frequency standards and quantum communication systems.     

Chalcogenide glass photonic crystals

All-optical switching devices are based on a material possessing a nonlinear optical response, enabling light to control light, and are enjoying renewed interest. Photonic crystals are a promising platform for realizing compact all-optical switches operating at very low power and integrated on an optical integrated circuit. In this review, we show that by making photonic crystals from a highly nonlinear chalcogenide glass, we have the potential to integrate a variety of active devices into a photonic chip. We describe the fabrication and testing of two-dimensional Ge₃₃As₁₂ Se₅₅ chalcogenide glass photonic crystal membrane devices (waveguides and microcavities). We then demonstrate the ability to post-tune the devices using the material photosensitivity. In one proposal we hope to introduce a double-heterostructure microcavity using the photosensitivity alone.     

Thin film optimization design of organic–inorganic hybrids for waveguide high‐rejection optical filters

We report the fabrication of transparent, low surface roughness (<0.1 nm), and low‐loss (1.5 ± 0.2 dB cm^–1, 532 nm) thin films of organic–inorganic hybrids with controlled refractive index values stable under aging. High‐rejection optical filters based on first‐order Bragg gratings inscribed in channel waveguides were fabricated using UV‐laser writing. Their high‐rejection figure of merit (～24 dB) is the best value found until now for organic–inorganic hybrids reinforcing the potential of sol–gel technology in the integration of optoelectronic components based on hybrid materials, namely in the fabrication of cost‐effective integrated optics devices. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Ultrafast laser written active devices

Direct‐write optical waveguide device fabrication is probably the most widely studied application of femtosecond laser micromachining in transparent dielectrics at the present time. Devices such as buried waveguides, power splitters, couplers, gratings, optical amplifiers and laser oscillators have all been demonstrated. This paper reviews the application of the femtosecond laser direct‐write technique to the fabrication of active waveguide devices in bulk glass materials.     

载流子色散型硅基CMOS光子器件

为了实现硅基单片光电子集成器件的实用化,介绍了采用P-I-N、双极型场效应晶体管、金属氧化物半导体和PN结结构的载流子色散型硅基CMOS光子器件的发展状况和特点,并汇报了硅基CMOS光子器件的设计和制作方面的工作.利用商业的CMOS工艺线制作的器件获得了较好的结果,光调制器消光比约18 dB,1×2光开关消光比约21 dB,谐振环的消光比8～12 dB.采用CMOS技术研制硅基光子器件,将能使集成光子学的发展上一个新的台阶.     

载流子色散型硅基CMOS光子器件

为了实现硅基单片光电子集成器件的实用化,介绍了采用P-I-N、双极型场效应晶体管、金属氧化物半导体和PN结结构的载流子色散型硅基CMOS光子器件的发展状况和特点,并汇报了硅基CMOS光子器件的设计和制作方面的工作.利用商业的CMOS工艺线制作的器件获得了较好的结果,光调制器消光比约18 dB,1×2光开关消光比约21 dB,谐振环的消光比8～12 dB.采用CMOS技术研制硅基光子器件,将能使集成光子学的发展上一个新的台阶.     

二元光学元件

二元光学元件是一种新型的衍射光学元件,它对光学仪器的小型化、集成化起着很重要的作用。本文介绍了二元光学元件的概况,衍射透镜理论,二元光学元件的制造方法以及发展趋势。     

PDL free plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiC optical waveguides and devices

Planar silicon carbide (SiC) waveguides are proposed for fabrication on a silicon substrate with an oxide isolation layer. Using post deposition annealing it is possible to achieve low polarisation-dependent loss (PDL) within optical SiC waveguides fabricated using a low temperature deposition technique. The proposed waveguides are optically characterised and successfully used in power splitters and vibration sensors. Results before and after annealing cycles for those devices are discussed. The interesting optical characteristics of SiC waveguides as well as the first passive components presented open the way for photonic sensing in harsh environment where SiC is a very promising material.     

Efficient Integrated Graphene Photonics in the Visible and Near‐IR

Graphene photonics has emerged as a promising platform for providing desirable optical functionality. However, graphene's monolayer‐scale thickness fundamentally restricts the available light matter interaction, posing a critical design challenge for integrated devices, particularly in wavelength regimes where graphene plasmonics is untenable. While several plasmonic designs have been proposed to enhance graphene light interaction in these regimes, they suffer from substantial insertion loss due to metal absorption. Here we report a non‐resonant metamaterial‐based waveguide platform to overcome the design bottleneck associated with graphene device. Such metamaterial structure enables low insertion loss even though metal is being utilized. By examining waveguide dispersion characteristics via closed‐form analysis, it is demonstrated that the metamaterial approach can provide optimized optical field that overlaps with the graphene monolayer. This enables graphene‐based integrated components with superior optical performance. Specifically, the metamaterial‐assisted graphene modulator can provide 5‐fold improvement in extinction ratio compared to Si nanowire, while reducing insertion loss by one order magnitude compared to plasmonic structures. Such a waveguide configuration thus allows one to maximize the optical potential that graphene holds in the telecom and visible regimes.     

基于纳米光学等离子晶体的新型纳米光子学器件的发展

通过设计合适的纳米表面等离子结构,纳米光学等离子晶体具有光场增强效应,能调控近场范围内的光场分布,可用来设计新型的纳米光子学器件。介绍了纳米光学等离子晶体的原理、结构特点、制作工艺和纳米光子学器件的设计方法,对纳米光学等离子晶体和普通光子晶体做了比较。归纳了纳米光学等离子晶体的物理机制、光学特征,描述并分析了波长选择性场增强效应和束流效应等。给出几种基于纳米光学等离子晶体的纳米光子学器件应用实例。     

Electro-Optic Polymer Integrated Optic Devices and Future Applications

Recent developments in electro-optic polymer materials and devices have led to new opportunities for integrated optic devices in numerous applications. The results of numerous tests have indicated that polymer materials have many properties that are suitable for use in high-speed communications systems, various sensor systems, and space applications. These results, coupled with recent advances in device and material technology, will allow very large bandwidth modulators and switches with low drive voltages, improved loss, long-term stability, and integration with other microelectronic devices such as MEMS. Low drive voltage devices are very important for space applications where power consumption scales as the square of the modulator half-wave voltage. In addition, we have demonstrated novel dual polymer modulators for mixing RF signals to produce sum and difference frequency modulation on an optical beam. This novel approach allows the suppression of the modulation at the two input RF signals, and only the mixing signals remain superposed on the optical beam. The dual modulator can be used for various encoding/decoding and frequency conversion schemes that are frequently used for both terrestrial and space communications. Another application of polymer integrated optics is in the field of optical sensing for high-frequency (GHz) electric fields.     

Fabrication of glass optical power splitter in thallium source by ion-exchange method

The use of a new thallium-ion (Tl+) source for glass optical power splitter fabrication based on a NaNO3-Tl2SO4 mixture is proposed and demonstrated. Planar optical power splitters were made using glasses such as K6, K8, K9. The optical quality of the devices prepared compares favorably with the quality obtained using other fabrication techniques (such as dry etching) and the processing time is considerably reduced.     

Electro-Optic Polymer Integrated Optic Devices and Future Applications

Recent developments in electro-optic polymer materials and devices have led to new opportunities for integrated optic devices in numerous applications. The results of numerous tests have indicated that polymer materials have many properties that are suitable for use in high-speed communications systems, various sensor systems, and space applications. These results, coupled with recent advances in device and material technology, will allow very large bandwidth modulators and switches with low drive voltages, improved loss, long-term stability, and integration with other microelectronic devices such as MEMS. Low drive voltage devices are very important for space applications where power consumption scales as the square of the modulator half-wave voltage. In addition, we have demonstrated novel dual polymer modulators for mixing RF signals to produce sum and difference frequency modulation on an optical beam. This novel approach allows the suppression of the modulation at the two input RF signals, and only the mixing signals remain superposed on the optical beam. The dual modulator can be used for various encoding/decoding and frequency conversion schemes that are frequently used for both terrestrial and space communications. Another application of polymer integrated optics is in the field of optical sensing for high-frequency (GHz) electric fields.     

Nonlinear optical switching and all-figures of merit in Bi_2S_(3-x)Se_x/PMMA nanocomposite films investigated by Z scan under visible CW laser

Bi2S3-xSex/poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA)nanocomposite films were prepared using microwave assisted synthesis with different compositions of x.Crystal structure,surface morphology,and optical properties were investigated to characterize the prepared nanocomposite films.The crystallinity and optical band gap of the prepared Bi2S3-xSex/PMMA were affected by x.The prepared samples showed a blue shift in the absorption edge.The laser power dependent nonlinear refraction and absorption of Bi2S3-xSex/PMMA nanocomposite films were investigated by using the Z-scan technique.The optical nonlinearity of the nanocomposite films exhibited switchover from negative nonlinear refraction to positive nonlinear refraction to negative nonlinear refraction effects,and from saturable absorption to reverse saturable absorption to saturable absorption with an increase and decrease in the composition.An interesting all-optical figure of merit was reported to assess the nanocomposite films for a practical device.It was calculated that the device all-figures of merit were based on the nonlinear response,which is important for the all-optical switching device.The results demonstrate that the optimized all-optical figures of merit can be achieved by adjusting the composition and input laser power,which can be used for the design of different all-photonic devices,and the results of nonlinear switching behavior can open new possibilities for using the nanocomposite films in laser Q-switching and mode-locking.     

Few‐cycle,broadband, mid‐infrared optical parametric oscillator pumped by a 20‐fs Ti:sapphire laser

A few‐cycle, broadband, singly‐resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for the mid‐infrared based on MgO‐doped periodically‐poled LiNbO₃ (MgO:PPLN), synchronously pumped by a 20‐fs Ti:sapphire laser is reported. By using crystal interaction lengths as short as 250 µm, and careful dispersion management of input pump pulses and the OPO resonator, near‐transform‐limited, few‐cycle idler pulses tunable across the mid‐infrared have been generated, with as few as 3.7 optical cycles at 2682 nm. The OPO can be continuously tuned over 2179‐3732 nm (4589‐2680 cm^‐1) by cavity delay tuning, providing up to 33 mW of output power at 3723 nm. The idler spectra exhibit stable broadband profiles with bandwidths spanning over 422 nm (FWHM) recorded at 3732 nm. The effect of crystal length on spectral bandwidth and pulse duration is investigated at a fixed wavelength, confirming near‐transform‐limited idler pulses for all grating interaction lengths. By locking the repetition frequency of the pump laser to a radio‐frequency reference, and without active stabilization of the OPO cavity length, an idler power stability better than 1.6% rms over >2.75 hours is obtained when operating at maximum output power, in excellent spatial beam quality with TEM₀₀ mode profile. Photograph shows a multigrating MgO:PPLN crystal used as a nonlinear gain medium in the few‐cycle femtosecond mid‐IR OPO. The visible light is the result of non‐phase‐matched sum‐frequency mixing between the interacting beams.     

Highly-efficient optical power combiners based on evanescently-coupled micro/nano optical fibers

Novel highly-efficient power combiners based on evanescently-coupled micro/nano optical fibers are proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Experimental results show that the maximum power combing efficiency can be >90%. The combining efficiency is overlap length dependent. As long as the overlap length is long enough (～7 mm), a stable high combining efficiency can always be achieved. The presented optical power combiners with the advantages of easy fabrication, low-loss, low-cost, and wavelength insensitivity can find potential applications in micro/nano photonic devices, optical communications and optical interconnects.     

A novel electrode structure with a reverse-biased p⿿n diode for high speed polymer-infiltrated slot modulators

This paper demonstrates an alternative electrode structure for low power optical modulation based on a slotted waveguide geometry filled with E-O polymers. A reverse-biased p?n junction is constructed inside the slot waveguide for apply modulation voltage. With this structure, the fabrication tolerance of the slot based E-O modulator should be more flexible. Analysis shows that the modulation speed of our design is comparable with the through-etched slot modulator, at the level of picoseconds.     

采用CCD技术的微型光机电系统光开关测试方法

在研制基于微型光机电系统技术的光电器件过程中,需要精确测定器件在给定驱动条件下的运动情况。在对制作完成的光开关进行性能测试时,由于微型光机电系统光开关的几何尺寸的限制,如果要准确测定光开关微反射镜的运动位移。将会有一定的困难。提出了一种采用线阵CCD技术的光学测量方法,实现了对光开关悬臂梁在驱动电压作用下的旋转角度的精确测量。通过理论推导得到了悬臂梁扭转角度与可测量物理量的关系．通过求解方程得到了各个物理量的数值选择对于测量结果的影响,并且给定了测量时各个物理量的参考值。通过实验测量,误差小于10％,表明这是一种具有实际意义的测量方案。     

Searching for better plasmonic materials

Plasmonics is a research area merging the fields of optics and nanoelectronics by confining light with relatively large free‐space wavelength to the nanometer scale ‐ thereby enabling a family of novel devices. Current plasmonic devices at telecommunication and optical frequencies face significant challenges due to losses encountered in the constituent plasmonic materials. These large losses seriously limit the practicality of these metals for many novel applications. This paper provides an overview of alternative plasmonic materials along with motivation for each material choice and important aspects of fabrication. A comparative study of various materials including metals, metal alloys and heavily doped semiconductors is presented. The performance of each material is evaluated based on quality factors defined for each class of plasmonic devices. Most importantly, this paper outlines an approach for realizing optimal plasmonic material properties for specific frequencies and applications, thereby providing a reference for those searching for better plasmonic materials.     

Micro‐ and nanooptics – an overview

Since the 1960s the minimum feature size of lithographic fabrication has shrunk from tens of micrometers to now a few nanometers, i.e. by one order of magnitude per decade. With the adaptation of lithographic techniques to the fabrication of optical elements, first micro‐ and more recently nanostructured optics was shown to be both feasible and useful. However, the incredibly shrinking feature size down to the scale of the optical wavelength and below does not only represent a quantitative measure, but it stands for qualitatively different optical phenomena that occur in the subwavelength regime. In that regard, micro‐ and nanooptics are two different worlds. Their common feature, however, is the succession of steps: computer‐based design, modeling and simulation, fabrication and technology, characterization and application. We review recent progress in micro‐ and nanooptics by describing the state‐of‐the art and by emphasizing specific areas of interest.