Integrated all-optical infrared switchable plasmonic quantum cascade laser.

We report a type of infrared switchable plasmonic quantum cascade laser, in which far field light in the midwave infrared (MWIR, 6.1 µm) is modulated by a near field interaction of light in the telecommunications wavelength (1.55 µm). To achieve this all-optical switch, we used cross-polarized bowtie antennas and a centrally located germanium nanoslab. The bowtie antenna squeezes the short wavelength light into the gap region, where the germanium is placed. The perturbation of refractive index of the germanium due to the free carrier absorption produced by short wavelength light changes the optical response of the antenna and the entire laser intensity at 6.1 µm significantly. This device shows a viable method to modulate the far field of a laser through a near field interaction.

Opto-mechanical force mapping of deep subwavelength plasmonic modes.

We present spatial mapping of optical force generated near the hot spot of a metal-dielectric-metal bowtie nanoantenna at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Maxwell's stress tensor method has been used to simulate the optical force and it agrees well with the experimental data. This method could potentially produce field intensity and optical force mapping simultaneously with a high spatial resolution. Detailed mapping of the optical force is crucial for understanding and designing plasmonic-based optical trapping for emerging applications such as chip-scale biosensing and optomechanical switching.

Signal-to-noise performance of a short-wave infrared nanoinjection imager.

We report on the signal-to-noise performance of a nanoinjection imager, which is based on a short-wave IR InGaAs/GaAsSb/InP detector with an internal avalanche-free amplification mechanism. Test pixels in the imager show responsivity values reaching 250 A/W at 1550 nm, -75 degrees C, and 1.5V due to an internal charge amplification mechanism in the detector. In the imager, the measured imager noise was 28 electrons (e(-)) rms at a frame rate of 1950 frames/s. Additionally, compared to a high-end short-wave IR imager, the nanoinjection camera shows 2 orders of magnitude improved signal-to-noise ratio at thermoelectric cooling temperatures primarily due to the small excess noise at high amplification.

An opto-electro-mechanical infrared photon detector with high internal gain at room temperature.

Many applications require detectors with both high sensitivity and linearity, such as low light level imaging and quantum computing. Here we present an opto-electro-mechanical detector based on nano-injection and lateral charge compression that operates at the short infrared (SWIR) range. Electrical signal is generated by photo-induced changes in a nano-injector gap, and subsequent change of tunneling current. We present a theoretical model developed for the OEM detector, and it shows good agreement with the measured experimental results for both the mechanical and electrical properties of the device. The device shows a measured responsivity of 276 A/W, equivalent to 220 electrons per incoming photon, and an NEP of 3.53 x 10(-14) W/Hz(0.5) at room temperature. Although these results are already competing with common APDs in linear mode, we believe replacing the AFM tip with a dedicated nano-injector can improve the sensitivity significantly.

Sub-Poissonian shot noise of a high internal gain injection photon detector.

The noise performance of an infrared injection photon detector with very high internal gain was investigated at a wavelength of 1.55 mum. The devices showed sub-Poissonian shot noise with Fano factors around 0.55 at 0.7 V at room temperature. Optical to electrical conversion factors of 3000 electrons per absorbed photon were recorded at 0.7 V. The change in noise-equivalent power with respect to bias voltage was evaluated. The optical to electrical conversion factor and Fano factor were measured under increasing illumination and compared to theoretical expectations.

Miniaturized fiber-optic transmission system for MRI signals.

Conventional MRI instruments transmit received MRI signals through electrical cables. Although this design has proved to be effective over the years, we report a fiber-optic system that addresses the needs of recent developments in MRI technology. One of these technologies is phased array coils with a high number of elements, where total size of interconnections is a primary problem, and other problem is internal MRI coils, where there is a need for improvements in safety. The Miniature Fiber-Optic Transmission (FOT) System was developed to address these issues. The system consists of a receiver coil with active detuning, a low-noise preamplifier, and a laser diode connected to a photodetector with fiber-optic cabling. The overall noise figure of the system is lower than 1 dB. Total power consumption is 50 mW, and the device is switchable with another fiber-optic line, which can also control active detuning. A prototype device was tested in a GE 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner, and several images were acquired with a signal to noise ratio similar to coaxial cabling. We believe that this design will reduce the cabling problems of arrays and enable placement of internal coils into body cavities with no safety hazard to the patient, such as electrical shock or burns.