Fault-tolerant polarization-insensitive photonic delay line architectures using two-dimensional digital micromirror devices

A binary multichannel photonic delay line (PDL) module is introduced that gives balanced loss switched states and a polarization-insensitive operation via the use of binary operation Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs). Experimental demonstration of a DMD-based PDL architecture is performed for a 6.84-ns time delay design. Experimental results include a 25-beam feed interchannel crosstalk test indicating a <−60 dB optical interchannel crosstalk level for a 0.381 mm interchannel distance in the multichannel PDL. An average optical signal-to-leakage noise ratio of 35.33 dB is measured for this PDL. A butterfly design PDL optical architecture is proposed for minimizing loss and improving assembly accuracy. These DMD-based variable PDLs can be used in applications ranging from radio frequency (RF) fiber-optic signal processing systems to adaptive optics for astronomical and laser radar arrays.     

激光全息光刻技术在微纳光子结构制备中的应用进展

微纳光子结构研究随着光子学、半导体物理学及微加工技术的发展而逐渐蓬勃开展,并在其结构、理论、制备技术等方面取得了系列进展。受限于目前的微加工技术水平,要成功制备大尺度、高质量的光子材料仍然存在着一定挑战。激光全息光刻技术作为一种简便快捷的微结构制作技术已经发展成为一种经济快速制作大面积微纳超材料及光子晶体模板的重要手段。介绍了激光全息光刻技术的原理,详细阐述了该技术在制作三维面心立方、木堆积结构、金刚石结构光子晶体以及光学周期类准晶、手性超材料、周期性缺陷结构等微纳光子结构中的应用研究进展。激光全息光刻技术成功制作微纳光子结构为光子材料在更多领域的广泛应用提供了基础和方法。     

A novel 4-channel demultiplexer based on photonic crystal ring resonators

A 4-channel wavelength division demultiplexer based on photonic crystal structures suitable for WDM communication applications is proposed. In order to improve the wavelength selectivity we introduce four scattering rods above and under the X-shaped ring resonators in the proposed structure. It is shown that the PBG of the structure is tuned for communication systems in both TE and TM modes but the results demonstrated that just the first PBG in TM mode is suitable for WDM applications, so all the simulations will be done in TM mode. The minimum and maximum crosstalk between channels is −23.7 dB and −7.5 dB, respectively. Also, the average channel spacing in this structure is 3 nm.     

Coherent crosstalk in passive microring based Optical Networks-on-Chip

Optical Networks-on-Chip (ONoC) is emerging technology for future optical interconnects used in all optical networks. The electrical interconnects face lot of problems due to their inability to support higher data rates used in the System-on-Chip (SoC) technologies. Integrated optical interconnects based on SoC avoid this bottleneck with their support to higher data rates. In this paper for the first time we have studied and analyzed ONoC at physical level for the system performance based on crosstalk, BER, throughput, system frequency, and other related parameters. The investigation of ONoC performance is carried out for the multistage microring optical crossconnect on SoC for coherent WDM signals. The analysis can be used in the design of ultra-high speed photonic routers for reliable data communication and processing. The results show the dependency of a coherent crosstalk on the system frequency of SoC and also illustrate the reduction in throughput with increase in number of WDM signals due to higher probability of packet transmission. Minimum 2 dB signal to noise ratio can be obtained when crosstalk is ?25 dB with 60 wavelengths for probability of packet transmission is 0.5.     

Design and analysis of coherent OCDM en/decoder based on photonic crystal

The design and performance analysis of a new coherent optical en/decoder based on photonic crystal (PhC) for optical code -division -multiple (OCDM) are presented in this paper. In this scheme, the optical pulse phase and time delay can be flexibly controlled by photonic crystal phase shifter and time delayer by using the appropriate design of fabrication. According to the PhC transmission matrix theorem, combination calculation of the impurity and normal period layers is applied, and performances of the PhC-based optical en/decoder are also analyzed. The reflection, transmission, time delay characteristic and optical spectrum of pulse en/decoded are studied for the waves tuned in the photonic band-gap by numerical calculation. Theoretical analysis and numerical results indicate that the optical pulse is achieved to properly phase modulation and time delay, and an auto-correlation of about 8 dB ration and cross-correlation is gained, which demonstrates the applicability of true pulse phase modulation in a number of applications.     

Design of Two 8-Channel Optical Demultiplexers Using 2D Photonic Crystal Homogeneous Ring Resonators

ABSTRACT

Ring resonators have always been referred to as a highly flexible structure for designing optical devices. In this paper, we have designed and evaluated two 8-channel optical demultiplexers using photonic crystal ring resonators. The purpose of this study is to investigate the flexibility of this type of resonator for designing and manufacturing optical devices based on photonic crystals. To the extent that we have investigated the literature, there is no report so far on such a study. For this purpose, two structures with the same structural parameters, but only with a difference in the type of lattice constant (square or triangular) are used. Both structures have a common photonic band gap within a proper range for telecommunication applications used in wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) systems. Both designed structures have an average crosstalk of ?26 dB. For the demultiplexer structure with a square lattice constant, the quality factor and the transmission coefficient are 3,046 and 93.7% respectively, and its channel spacing is 1.97 nm. For the structure with a triangular lattice constant, the quality factor and the transmission coefficient are 1577.7 and 94.5%, respectively and its channel spacing is equal to 4 nm. To obtain the photonic band gap of the structures, the plane wave expansion (PWE) method is used and the output spectrum of the structures is obtained using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The good results obtained in this study is through designing and simulating optical demultiplexer structures only by creating a change in the type of lattice constant used. This undoubtedly justifies the high flexibility of ring resonators, when used in the design of optical devices, as well as their suitability for the use in WDM systems     

Integrated optical delay lines:a review and perspective[Invited]

Optical delay lines(ODLs) are one of the key enabling components in photonic integrated circuits and systems.They are widely used in time-division multiplexing, optical signal synchronization and buffering, microwave signal processing, beam forming and steering, etc. The development of integrated photonics pushes forward the miniaturization of ODLs, offering improved performances in terms of stability, tuning speed, and power consumption. The integrated ODLs can be implemented using various structures, such as single or coupled resonators, gratings, photonic crystals, multi-path switchable structures, and recirculating loop structures.The delay tuning in ODLs is enabled by either changing the group refractive index of the waveguide or changing the length of the optical path. This paper reviews the recent development of integrated ODLs with a focus on their abundant applications and flexible implementations. The challenges and potentials of each type of ODLs are pointed out.     

An ultra compact photonic crystal wavelength division demultiplexer using resonance cavities in a modified Y-branch structure

An ultra small size 4-channel wavelength division demultiplexer based on 2D photonic crystal modified Y-Branch, suitable for integration, is proposed in this paper. The output wavelengths of designed structure can be tuned for communication applications (around 1550 nm) by choosing suitable defect parameters in the corner of each resonance cavity and output waveguides. The cross section of the structure is 313.28 μm² (17.8 μm × 17.6 μm) and desirable for integration based on popular planar technology. The bandwidth of each channel is near to 1 nm and the channel spacing is approximately 3.5 nm and wavelengths of demultiplexer channels are 1548.8 nm, 1551.9 nm, 1555.4 nm and 1559.3 nm respectively. Also, the crosstalk is between −33.1855 dB and −10.4947 dB. Furthermore, the mean values of the crosstalk and quality factor are −22.54 dB and 1496.7 respectively.     

A tunable single-passband microwave photonic filter with positive and negative taps using a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer and phase modulation

In this paper, a tunable single-passband microwave photonic filter with positive and negative taps based on phase modulation and a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (FMZI)) is presented, theoretically analyzed and experimentally demonstrated. The FMZI as the slicing filter results in a single-bandpass characteristic for the presented filter, and by using phase modulation, a number of negative taps are generated, thus making the baseband resonance suppressed, which is desirable for microwave photonic filter's application. The wavelength spacing of the FMZI can be tuned by employing an optical variable delay line, making the present filter continuously tunable. A tunable single-passband microwave photonic filter without baseband resonance is achieved in the experiment. The present filter shows an extinction ratio of up to ∼20 dB and good tuning linearity.     

1 × N add-drop filter structures using one dense wavelength division multiplexing thin-film filter

This paper proposes 1 × N add-drop filter structures in which only one thin-film filter (TF) is used. Our key idea is based on a combination of an angle-multiplexing concept and the flexibility of the optical fiber to allow a multiwavelength optical beam hit the TF several times, each time at a different angle but same position. Due to the TF angle sensitivity, the desired wavelength optical beam corresponding to the incident angle is therefore spatially isolated from the main optical beam. Our first TF-based 1 × N add-drop filter structure is arranged in a reflective design in which N wavelength optical beams can be dropped out from the main channel. For our transmissive architecture, N − 2 channels are directed to their associated output terminals while the remaining λ_N−1 and λ_N wavelength optical beams are sent out at the same port. Experimental proof of concept for our reflective TF-based 1 × 3 add-drop filter using one off-the-shelf TF, a triple fiber-optic collimator, and an optical circulator separates two wavelength optical beams with their channel spacing of 0.8 nm from the main channel. In this case, measured optical losses of 0.67 dB, 1.66 dB, and 2.59 dB are obtained for the first, the second, and the remaining dropped wavelength optical beams, respectively. Optical crosstalk and polarization dependent loss of <−18 dB and <0.08 dB are also investigated, respectively.     

非水溶性光致聚合物光子晶体的研制

报道了一种新型的利用激光全息技术制作光子晶体的记录材料,即自制的非水溶性光致聚合物.用绿光作为光源对材料性能参量做简单测试,经测试其衍射效率可达85%,在波长为514.5 nm处拥有较高的吸收率,且该材料的后处理过程简单,只需热烘.利用Matlab简单模拟全息法制作光子晶体的过程,经模拟得到干涉的光束越多,光子晶体的晶格结构越复杂.设计了制作二维、三维光子晶体的实验光路,分光元件分别为掩模板和去顶棱镜.实验结果表明,利用非水溶性光致聚合物可制作大面积、大体积、耐高温和高强度的二、三维光子晶体,且其晶体结构与Matlab模拟的结果基本一致|利用非水溶性光致聚合物作为记录材料时,光路的搭建是影响实验结果的重要因素.     

Analysis and design of optically transparent antenna on photonic band gap structures

An optically transparent microstrip patch antenna is designed on photonic bandgap structures and its radiation characteristics are computed and analyzed in the visible spectrum region. The proposed antenna consists of indium tin oxide, a transparent conducting material used both as a radiating patch and a ground plane separated by the 5 μm thin glass substrate. The introduction of periodic cylindrical air cavity structures in the glass substrate leads to the formation of photonic band gap. The patch thickness is carefully selected based on the analysis of the optical transmission coefficient with respect to patch thickness. The effective dielectric constant of the photonic band gap loaded glass substrate is computed using the effective medium approach. The refractive index of the proposed antenna is presented and discussed. The radiation efficiency of the antenna is shown to improve significantly due to insertion of proposed photonic band gap structures. The proposed design has yielded a bandwidth of 2–2.3 THz for a return loss (S₁₁) of less than −15dB and achieved a peak gain of 4.97dB at 2.27 THz.     

Broadband 2 × 2 free-space optical switch using electronically controlled liquid lenses

To the best of our knowledge, proposed is the first liquid lens technology-based 2 × 2 free-space optical switch using a pair of Electronically Controlled Variable Focus Lenses (ECVFLs). By independently controlling the focal lengths of two cascaded liquid ECVFLs, the two input optical beams are spatially adjusted to couple to their respective output beam ports. At 633-nm, the experimental switch demonstrates 26.3 dB crosstalk, 23.0 dB within-channel isolation, 1.1 dB optical loss, and 0.2 dB Polarization Dependent Loss (PDL). A 0.2 dB Wavelength Dependent Loss (WDL) is measured over 633-nm and 514-nm wavelengths. A 1 × 2 optical-fiber coupled switch version is also tested. The proposed switch can be useful in free-space laser systems as well as fiber-based modules.     

Temperature dependence of symmetric and asymmetric structured Au stripe waveguides

The thermal effects on pigtailed 22-nm-thick, 5-μm-wide and 1-cm-long Au stripe long-range surface plasmon polariton (LRSPP) waveguides, embedded in polymer/polymer layers and in polymer/silica layers, are theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. The polymer and silica cladding layers have thermo-optic coefficients of opposite signs. As the temperature varies the Au stripe LRSPP waveguide embedded in the polymer/polymer layers retains its symmetry in the refractive index, but that embedded in the polymer/silica layers becomes asymmetric in the refractive index. The thermal sensitivity in the optical output power of the symmetric structure is smaller than 0.02 dB/°C but the sensitivity of the asymmetric structure is ∼ 0.3 dB/°C. These structures open up potential applications of the LRSPP waveguides for temperature independent/dependent photonic devices.     

Photonic generation of ultrawideband signals by exploiting gain saturation of dark pump pulse with double undershoots in a highly nonlinear fiber

We have proposed and theoretically demonstrated an alternative photonic scheme to generate ultrawideband (UWB) doublet pulses based on gain saturation effect in one piece of highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). A flexible format swap between UWB doublet and monocycle pulses can be successfully realized by properly tuning the optical tunable delay line (ODL). Moreover, the key parameters for UWB pulse, including the center frequency (Fc), 10 dB bandwidth (BW_10dB), and fractional bandwidth (FBW), are also investigated with Fc being Einstein shift when the doublet pulse transforms into the monocycle pulse. Finally, our proposed scheme exhibits good performance that the obtained UWB pulse can have a FBW of > 100% at the Fc of ~ 7 GHz and UWB-over-fiber technology is also implemented without dispersion management.     

Polymer-silica hybrid 1 × 2 thermooptic switch with low crosstalk

A new polymer-silica hybrid 1 × 2 thermooptic switch with significantly low crosstalk is demonstrated. The top cladding and the core layers are composed of polymer, while the bottom cladding layer is made of silica. Since polymer and silica have algebraic signs of their thermooptic coefficients that are opposite to each other, the refractive index of the core changes in the opposite direction to that of the bottom cladding as the temperature is increased. Thus, switching operation is initially done through adiabatic mode evolution in the Y-branch, and then a heated waveguide arm in the Y-branch can enter into the optical cut-off region if the temperature is sufficiently high. Using this phenomenon, low crosstalk performance is achieved. The proposed device has a crosstalk of −35 dB, while most integrated-optic switches with a single stage have a relatively high crosstalk in the region of −20 dB. The switching power of the proposed device is about 70 mW.     

Polymer waveguide thermo-optic switches with −70 dB optical crosstalk

To reduce the crosstalk of the polymer waveguide optical switches, waveguide attenuators are integrated with the switch on the same substrate. The switch and attenuator shares a single connected electrode which is controlled by a single current source. Due to the simple structure of the integrated attenuator, the device length is reduced to 10 mm so as to provide low insertion loss of 0.8 and 1.1 dB for 1300 and 1550 nm, respectively. Further radiation of the remained optical signal on the switch-off branch is induced by the integrated attenuator so that the switching crosstalk is reduced to −70 dB with an applied electrical power of 200 mW. The low crosstalk is maintained for the environmental temperature range of −10 to 55 °C.     

Compact optical delay line for long-range scanning

We proposed and demonstrated an optical delay line composed of all reflective components for long-range scanning without walk-off problem. The optical delay line consists of a retro-reflector, an inclined reflection mirror and a scanning mirror. The size of the optical delay line is within 2 cm × 2 cm and the scanning range can reach 2.9 mm when the beam is incident at the pivot of the scanning mirror and the vibration angle of the scanning mirror is 9.6°. The scanning range can be further increased when the pivot of the scanning mirror is laterally deviated from the incident beam. The optical delay line possesses the advantages that it is compact, easy to fabricate and can perform rapid scanning in large scanning range without walk-off problem. The optical delay line was demonstrated with a low-coherence reflectometer where the scanning rate was 400 Hz. A higher scanning rate can be achieved when a scanning component with higher scanning rate is applied.     

硅基光波导开关技术综述

硅基光波导开关技术是公认的低成本光交换技术,在电信网络、数据中心和高性能计算领域中都具有非常广泛的应用前景.本文系统综述了近年来硅基光波导开关技术研究取得的主要进展,首先对马赫-曾德尔干涉仪型、微环谐振型和微电子机械系统驱动波导型三种硅基光波导开关技术进行了介绍,并对不同原理的光开关技术的应用场景进行了总结;然后讨论了影响大端口光开关性能的关键技术,特别着重于拓扑架构、无源器件和光电封装等方面;最后对硅基光波导开关技术的技术挑战和研究方向进行了展望,其对未来硅基全光交换技术的实用化具有指导性意义.     

A 7-bit photonic true-time-delay system based on an 8 × 8 MOEMS optical switch

We demonstrate a 7-bit photonic true-time-delay （TTD） system which uses an 8 × 8 micro-optical-electro- mechanical system （MOEMS） optical switch for phased array antennas （PAAs） beamforming applications. The switch controls the optical signal to pass by the fiber delay lines （FDLs） of different lengths. Different time delays between adjacent channels are obtained due to the chromatic dispersion of FDLs. Therefore, the system cannot be disturbed by the environment. The measured time delay responses are nearly linear with the wavelength spacing between optical carriers as well as the lengths of FDLs, which agrees well with the theoretical analysis.