Hyperband electro-optic modulator based on a two-pulley coupled lithium niobate racetrack resonator.

Integrated optical modulators (IOMs) are crucial components of on-chip photonic circuits. However, most conventional IOMs are restricted to specific spectral bands. Here, we leveraged the wide transparency window of lithium niobate in conjunction with the two-pulley coupled resonator method. This approach led to the development of a hyperband electro-optic (EO) modulator that operates over an expansive spectral range from 775 to 1550 nm on a single device. The demonstrated EO modulator exhibits half-wave voltage-length products of 0.25, 0.93, and 0.68 V·cm at wavelengths of 1539.50, 969.70, and 775.17 nm, respectively.

Electro-optic control of the external coupling strength of a high-quality-factor lithium niobate micro-resonator.

Controlling the optical coupling between a micro-resonator and waveguide plays a key role in on-chip photonic circuits. Here, we demonstrate a two-point coupled lithium niobate (LN) racetrack micro-resonator that enables us to electro-optically traverse a full set of the zero-, under-, critical-, and over-coupling regimes with minimized disturbance of the intrinsic properties of the resonant mode. The modulation between the zero- and critical-coupling conditions cost a resonant frequency shift of only ∼344.2 MHz and rarely changed the intrinsic quality (Q) factor of 4.6 × 105. Our device is a promising element in on-chip coherent photon storage/retrieval and its applications.

Metal-slotted hybrid optical waveguides for PCB-compatible optical interconnection.

For development of electro-optical printed circuit board (PCB) systems, PCB-compatible metal-slotted hybrid optical waveguide was proposed and its optical characteristics are investigated at a wavelength of 1.31 µm. To confine light in a metallic multilayered structure, a metal film with a wide trench is inserted at the center of a dielectric medium that is sandwiched between metal films of infinite width. A circularly symmetric spot of the guided mode was measured at the center of the metal-slotted optical waveguide, which is a good agreement with the theoretical prediction by using the finite-element method. The measured propagation loss is about 1.5 dB/cm. Successful transmission of 2.5 Gbps optical signal without any distortion of the eye diagram confirms that the proposed hybrid optical waveguide holds a potential transmission line for the PCB-compatible optical interconnection.

InAsP Quantum Dot-Embedded InP Nanowires toward Silicon Photonic Applications.

Quantum dot (QD) emitters on silicon platforms have been considered as a fascinating approach to building next-generation quantum light sources toward unbreakable secure communications. However, it has been challenging to integrate position-controlled QDs operating at the telecom band, which is a crucial requirement for practical applications. Here, we report monolithically integrated InAsP QDs embedded in InP nanowires on silicon. The positions of QD nanowires are predetermined by the lithography of gold catalysts, and the 3D geometry of nanowire heterostructures is precisely controlled. The InAsP QD forms atomically sharp interfaces with surrounding InP nanowires, which is in situ passivated by InP shells. The linewidths of the excitonic (X) and biexcitonic (XX) emissions from the QD and their power-dependent peak intensities reveal that the proposed QD-in-nanowire structure could be utilized as a non-classical light source that operates at silicon-transparent wavelengths, showing a great potential for diverse quantum optical and silicon photonic applications.

Effective plasmonic mode-size converter.

Plasmonic mode-size converters (PMSCs) for long-range surface plasmon polaritons (LR-SPPs) at the wavelength of 1.55 µm are presented. The PMSC is composed of an insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (IMI-W), a laterally tapered insulator-metal-insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (LT-IMIMI-W), and an IMIMI-W in series. The mode-intensity sizes of the LR-SPPs for the IMI-W and the IMIMI-W were not only calculated using a finite element method but were also experimentally measured. The propagation losses of the IMI-W and the IMIMI-W as well as the coupling losses between them were analyzed by the cut-back method to investigate the effect of LT-IMIMI-Ws. By using the PMSC with a ~27 ° angled LT-IMIMI-W, the coupling loss between a polarization-maintaining fiber and a 3 µm-wide IMIMI-W was reduced by ~3.4 dB. Moreover, the resulting mode-intensity in the output of the PMSC was squeezed to ~35% of the mode-intensity in the input IMI-W. The PMSC may be potentially useful for bridging micro- to nano-plasmonic integrated circuits.

Low bending loss characteristics of hybrid plasmonic waveguide for flexible optical interconnect.

The bending loss characteristics of the hybrid plasmonic waveguide are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Simulation results showed that the guided mode is confined mainly into outer high index slab as the bending radius decreases. Thus, the radiation loss due to bending is greatly suppressed. We fabricate flexible hybrid plasmonic waveguide consisted of 5 nm-thick Au stripe and flexible multiple polymer cladding layers. The measured bending loss is lower than 1 dB/180° at a wavelength of 1310 nm for the bending radii down to 2 mm.

Measurement of refractive index and thickness of transparent plate by dual-wavelength interference.

We developed an accurate and efficient method for measuring the refractive indices of a transparent plate by analyzing the transmitted intensity versus angle of incidence. By using two different wavelengths, we resolved the 2pi-ambiguity inherent to the phase measurement involving a thick medium, leading to independent determination of the absolute index of refraction and the thickness with a relative uncertainty of 10(-5). The validity and the accuracy of our method were confirmed with a standard reference material. Furthermore, our method is insensitive to environmental perturbations, and simple to implement, compared to the conventional index measurement methods providing similar accuracy.

Hybrid plasmonic waveguide for low-loss lightwave guiding.

A hybrid plasmonic waveguide structure is proposed and fabricated for low-loss lightwave guiding along a metal stripe core. By embedding Au stripe in dual slab waveguides with high refractive-index contrast, the field of the guided mode is confined more in the two dielectric core layers. Thus, the propagation loss is significantly reduced. The guided mode is like a combination of a fundamental long-range surface plasmon polariton strip mode and a dual symmetric dielectric slab mode. We fabricate 5 nm-thick Au stripe optical waveguides and measure the optical properties at a wavelength of 1.31 microm. The propagation loss is less than 1.0 dB/cm with the metal stripe width of 1-5 microm.

Low bending loss metal waveguide embedded in a free-standing multilayered polymer film.

Very low vertical bending loss is demonstrated in a flexible metal waveguide. The waveguide consists of an 8 nm-thick and 68 mm-long Ag strip embedded in a free-standing multilayered low-loss polymer film. The polymer film is composed of a 10 microm-thick inner cladding with a refractive index of 1.524, and a pair of 20 microm-thick outer claddings which both have a refractive index of 1.514, resulting in a total thickness of 50 microm. The measured vertical bending loss is lower than 0.3 dB/180 masculine at a wavelength of 1310 nm for the bending radii down to 2 mm.

Sub-dB/cm propagation loss in silver stripe waveguides.

We demonstrate sub-dB/cm propagation losses in polymer-based silver stripe waveguides at the wavelength of 1.31 microm. The silver stripe waveguides were fabricated in a low-loss fluorinated polymer clad. To form uniform metal stripe patterns, which are essential for reducing propagation loss, we developed a lift-off process using double layers of photoresist and SiNx. A propagation loss of less than 1.0 dB/cm was obtained with the 11- nm-thick silver stripes in the width range of 1.5 - 4.5 microm. A coupling loss of approximately 1.0 dB with a polarization maintaining single mode fiber was achieved for a width of 4.5 microm. For a width of 2.0 microm, we recorded a minimum propagation loss of 0.4 dB/cm, which is comparable with that of dielectric multi-mode waveguides.

Tunable external cavity laser employing uncooled superluminescent diode.

We have fabricated a tunable external cavity laser (T-ECL) based on a superluminescent diode and a polymeric waveguide Bragg reflector, providing a cost-effective solution for wavelength division multiplexing-passive optical network (WDM-PON) systems. The wavelength of the T-ECL is tuned through 100 GHz-spacing 16 channels by the thermo-optic tuning of the refractive index of the polymer waveguide at a low input power of 70 mW. The maximum output power and the slope efficiency of the uncooled diode at 20 (75) degrees C are 8.83 (3.80) mW and 0.107 (0.061) W/A, respectively. The T-ECL operated successfully in the direct modulation for 1.25 Gbit/s transmissions over 20 km.

Nonuniform output characteristics of laser diode with wet-etched spot-size converter.

We study the output characteristics of spot-size converter (SSC) integrated buried heterostructure (BH) laser diode (LD) by forming SSC with wet etching process. SSC-LD shows large chip-to-chip variation in threshold current(Ith) and slope efficiency (eta(slope)) compared to LD without SSC. Ith and eta(slope) are closely related with each other so that the front facet eta(slope) increases while the rear facet eta(slope) decreases with Ith. Far-field angle is also found to be proportional to the front facet eta(slope). The trends observed are explained clearly by a unidirectional loss occurring when photons travel from the front to rear facet.

Chip-to-chip optical interconnect using gold long-range surface plasmon polariton waveguides.

We demonstrate a novel on-board chip-to-chip optical interconnect using long-range surface plasmon polariton (LR-SPP) waveguides that feature 2.5-cm-long gold strips embedded in a low loss polymer cladding. A TM-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) operating at a wavelength of 1.3 microm was butt-coupled into the waveguides in order to excite a fundamental LR-SPP mode and then the transmitted light was received with a photo-diode (PD). The waveguide width is varied in the range of 1.5-5.0 microm in order to optimize the insertion loss where the 3-microm-wide waveguide provides a minimum insertion loss of -17 dB, consisting of 6 dB/cm propagation loss and 2 dB coupling loss. An interconnect system based on the optimized waveguide with a 4-channel array is assembled with the arrayed optoelectronic chips. It shows the feasibility of 10 Gbps (2.5 Gbps x 4 channels) signal transmission indicating that the LR-SPP waveguide is a potential transmission line for optical interconnection.

Continuously tunable compact lasers based on thermo-optic polymer waveguides with Bragg gratings.

Based on the thermo-optic tuning of a polymer waveguide Bragg reflector, we demonstrated a cost-effective tunable wavelength laser for WDM optical communications. The excellent thermo-optic effect of the polymer waveguide enabled direct tuning of the Bragg reflection wavelength by controlling the electrical power on a micro-heater. Wavelength tuning for 32 channels with 0.8 nm wavelength spacing was demonstrated as well as a continuous tuning with wavelength steps of 0.1 nm. To be qualified as a tunable laser for WDM-PON applications, wavelength stability within 0.15 nm was confirmed for an operating temperature range from -10 to 70 degrees C.

Cascaded wavelength conversion as favorable application of nonlinear optical polymers.

Nonlinear optical (NLO) polymers have been considered promising materials for wavelength conversion at a low pump power. However, they have not been readily adopted to practical applications due to their high absorption coefficients, especially at a shorter interacting wavelength. Our theoretical analysis proves that the influence of absorption coefficients can be mitigated significantly in cascaded wavelength conversion (CWC) processes. According to our example study, maximum conversion efficiencies for CWC can compare even with those for second-harmonic generation in many NLO polymers. Thus CWC can become a pertinent application of NLO polymers. However, to obtain such efficient CWC, several realistic problems should be resolved in practical devices.

Second-harmonic generation in periodically poled nonlinear polymer waveguides.

We demonstrate quasi-phase-matched (QPM) second-harmonic generation (SHG) at the optical communication wavelengths with side-chain polymer waveguides. A ridge waveguide structure is designed to support fundamental mode guiding at both the pump and the second harmonics, leading to a high field overlap integral of the guided modes. The nonlinearity contrast in the +/0 type QPM waveguide is maximized under a QPM poling electrode width of nearly half the coherence length. Using these configurations, we record a normalized SHG efficiency of 2.2% W(-1) cm(-2) in the polymer waveguide.