Ultra-compact and efficient photonic waveguide bends with different configurations designed by topology optimization.

Transporting light signals over the corners and sharp bends imposes high optical loss and distortion on the mode profiles. Usually, bends with larger radii are used in circuits to minimize the loss over transmission, resulting in a severe limitation in integration density. In this paper, we propose novel topology-optimized optimized L-bend and U-bend structures designed for a 220 nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. Optimized L-bends with footprints of 2.5 µm × 2.5 µm, 1.5 µm × 1.5 µm, and 1 µm × 1 µm show maximum insertion losses of only 0.07 dB, 0.26 dB, and 0.78 dB, respectively. For optimized U-bends with footprints of 3 µm × 3.6 µm, 2.5 µm × 2.5 µm, and 1.5 µm × 1.5 µm, the maximum insertion losses are 0.07 dB, 0.21 dB, and 3.16 dB. These optimized bends reduce the maximum insertion loss by over 50% compared to un-optimized arc-type bends across a broad wavelength range of 1450-1650 nm. Experimental verification of a meander line with 16 optimized U-bends (3 µm × 3.6 µm) demonstrates an averaged insertion loss of 1.23 dB in the wavelength range of 1520-1580 nm, agreeing with simulated results and indicating a high potential of loss reduction with optimized bends.

Deep neural network-based phase calibration in integrated optical phased arrays.

Calibrating the phase in integrated optical phased arrays (OPAs) is a crucial procedure for addressing phase errors and achieving the desired beamforming results. In this paper, we introduce a novel phase calibration methodology based on a deep neural network (DNN) architecture to enhance beamforming in integrated OPAs. Our methodology focuses on precise phase control, individually tailored to each of the 64 OPA channels, incorporating electro-optic phase shifters. To effectively handle the inherent complexity arising from the numerous voltage set combinations required for phase control across the 64 channels, we employ a tandem network architecture, further optimizing it through selective data sorting and hyperparameter tuning. To validate the effectiveness of the trained DNN model, we compared its performance with 20 reference beams obtained through the hill climbing algorithm. Despite an average intensity reduction of 0.84 dB in the peak values of the beams compared to the reference beams, our experimental results demonstrate substantial agreements between the DNN-predicted beams and the reference beams, accompanied by a slight decrease of 0.06 dB in the side-mode-suppression-ratio. These results underscore the practical effectiveness of the DNN model in OPA beamforming, highlighting its potential in scenarios that necessitate the intelligent and time-efficient calibration of multiple beams.

Demonstration of high-accuracy 3D imaging using a Si optical phased array with a tunable radiator.

Precise imaging in three-dimension (3D) is an essential technique for solid-state light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Among various solid-state LiDAR technologies, silicon (Si) optical phased array (OPA)-based LiDAR has the significant advantage of robust 3D imaging due to its high scanning speed, low power consumption, and compactness. Numerous techniques employing a Si OPA have utilized two-dimensional arrays or wavelength tuning for longitudinal scanning but the operation of those systems is restricted by additional requirements. Here, we demonstrate high-accuracy 3D imaging using a Si OPA with a tunable radiator. As we adapted a time-of-flight approach for distance measurement, we have developed an optical pulse modulator that allows a ranging accuracy of less than 2 cm. The implemented Si OPA is composed of an input grating coupler, multimode interferometers, electro-optic p-i-n phase shifters, and thermo-optic n-i-n tunable radiators. With this system, it is possible to attain a wide beam steering range of 45° in a transversal angle with a 0.7° divergence angle, and 10° in a longitudinal angle with a 0.6° divergence angle can be achieved using Si OPA. The character toy model was successfully imaged in three dimensions with a range resolution of 2 cm using the Si OPA. The further improvement of each component of the Si OPA will allow even more accurate 3D imaging over a longer distance.

Inverse design of an on-chip optical response predictor enabled by a deep neural network.

We proposed inverse-designed nanophotonic waveguide devices which have the desired optical responses in the wide band of 1450-1650 nm. The proposed devices have an ultra-compact size of just 1.5 µm × 3.0 µm and are designed on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide platform. Individual nano-pixels with dimensions of 150 nm × 150 nm were made of either silicon or silicon dioxide, and the materials for the 200 total cells were determined using a trained deep neural network. While training the two networks, the hyperparameter optimization method was applied to make the training process efficient. We then fabricated the proposed devices using a CMOS-compatible fabrication process, and experimentally verified the fabricated device performance.

Multi-Directional Cloak Design by All-Dielectric Unit-Cell Optimized Structure.

In this manuscript, we demonstrate the design and experimental proof of an optical cloaking structure that multi-directionally conceals a perfectly electric conductor (PEC) object from an incident plane wave. The dielectric modulation around the highly reflective scattering PEC object is determined by an optimization process for multi-directional cloaking purposes. Additionally, to obtain the multi-directional effect of the cloaking structure, an optimized slice is mirror symmetrized through a radial perimeter. The three-dimensional (3D) finite-difference time-domain method is integrated with genetic optimization to achieve a cloaking design. In order to overcome the technological problems of the corresponding devices in the optical range and to experimentally demonstrate the proposed concept, our experiments were carried out on a scale model in the microwave range. The scaled proof-of-concept of the proposed structure is fabricated by 3D printing of polylactide material, and the brass metallic alloy is used as a perfect electrical conductor for microwave experiments. A good agreement between numerical and experimental results is achieved. The proposed design approach is not restricted only to multi-directional optical cloaking but can also be applied to different cloaking scenarios dealing with electromagnetic waves at nanoscales as well as other types such as acoustic waves. Using nanotechnology, our scale proof-of-concept research will take the next step toward the creation of "optical cloaking" devices.

Dynamic beam splitter employing an all-dielectric metasurface based on an elastic substrate.

Beam splitters are an indispensable part of optical measurements and applications. We propose a dynamic beam splitter incorporating all-dielectric metasurface in an elastic substrate under external mechanical stimulus of stretching. The optical behavior at 720 nm wavelength shows that it can be changed from a pure optical-diode-like behavior to a dynamic beam splitter. Although the structure is designed running at 720 nm, the design approach with appropriate materials can be used at any wavelength. Various cases, including wavelength and polarization dependencies, are thoroughly investigated to demonstrate the principles of operating conditions of two different regimes of the designed metasurface.

Demonstration of carpet cloaking by an anisotropic zero refractive index medium.

In this Letter, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate the carpet cloaking effect by a rectangular lattice two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) exhibiting a semi-Dirac cone (SDC) dispersion phenomenon. The proposed SDC PC with an anisotropic zero refractive index medium operates as an optical carpet cloak for a perfect electric conductor surface bump. The experimental verification of the cloak is realized at microwave frequencies at around 12.1 GHz via dielectric rods. A good agreement between experimental measurements and numerical calculations is observed. Finally, features such as rendering larger objects invisible are possible with the proposed idea.

Optically-Thin Broadband Graphene-Membrane Photodetector.

A broadband graphene-on-Si3N4-membrane photodetector for the visible-IR spectral range is realised by simple lithography and deposition techniques. Photo-current is produced upon illumination due to presence of the build-in potential between dissimilar metal electrodes on graphene as a result of charge transfer. The sensitivity of the photo-detector is ∼ 1 . 1 µ A/W when irradiated with 515 and 1030 nm wavelengths; a smaller separation between the metal contacts favors gradient formation of the built-in electric field and increases the efficiency of charge separation. This optically-thin graphene-on-membrane photodetector and its interdigitated counterpart has the potential to be used within 3D optical elements, such as photonic crystals, sensors, and wearable electronics applications where there is a need to minimise optical losses introduced by the detector.

Unveiling the optical parameters of vanadium dioxide in the phase transition region: a hybrid modeling approach.

The phase change behavior of vanadium dioxide (VO2) has been widely explored in a variety of optical and photonic applications. Commonly, its optical parameters have been studied in two extreme regimes: hot (metallic) and cold (insulating) states. However, in the transition temperatures, VO2 acts like an inherent metamaterial with mixed metallic-insulating character. In this range, the portions of metallic and insulating inclusions are tuned by temperature, and therefore a gradual change of optical parameters can be achieved. In this paper, a universal hybrid modeling approach is developed to model VO2 in the intermediate region. For this aim, the measured reflectivity data, is analyzed and matched through the transfer matrix method (TMM) simulations where an effective medium theory (EMT) is employed. Based on the findings of this approach, not only the relative portions of inclusions are tailored but also their grain shapes are significantly altered in the transition range. Finally, the modeling approach is testified by experimental findings through dynamic device applications operating at short and mid infrared wavelengths. In addition, the hysteretic behaviors on electrical, optical, and structural parameters of the VO2 film along the heating and cooling cycles are demonstrated by the experiments and scrutinized by the simulations.

Investigation of Strain Effects on Photoelectrochemical Performance of Flexible ZnO Electrodes.

In this report, the growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals with various morphologies, nanoflower, nanosheet, and nanorod, on flexible stainless steel (SS) foils to be utilized as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells has been presented. It has been aimed to provide flexibility and adaptability for the next generation systems with the incorporation of SS foils as electrode into PEC cells. Therefore, physical deformation tests have been applied to the prepared ZnO thin film photoanodes. These thin films have been thoroughly characterized before and after straining for better understanding the relationship between the morphology, straining effect and photoelectrochemical efficiency. We observed a notable increase in the maximum incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) and durability of all ZnO photoelectrodes after straining process. The increase in IPCE values by 1.5 and 2.5 folds at 370 nm has been observed for nanoflower and nanorod morphologies, respectively after being strained. The maximum IPCE of 69% has been calculated for the ZnO nanorod structures after straining. Bending of the SS electrodes resulted in the more oriented nanorod arrays compared to its flat counterpart, which improved both the light absorption and also the photo-conversion efficiency drastically. The finite-difference time-domain simulations have also been carried out to examine the optical properties of flat and bent ZnO electrodes. Finally, it has been concluded that SS photoanodes bearing ZnO semiconducting material with nanoflower and nanorod morphologies are very promising candidates for the solar hydrogen generator systems in terms of efficiency, durability, flexibility, and lightness in weight.

Spectral splitting for an InGaP/GaAs parallel junction solar cell.

In this paper, a design of a diffractive optical element to split the solar spectrum into two separate parts for a laterally arrayed InGaP/GaAs solar cell is presented. Optical simulation is done by using the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method and the results are demonstrated to evaluate the optical performance of the designed structure. Anti-reflection coating for the designed splitter is also put forth. In addition to the optical analysis, electrical simulations are performed and current density-voltage and power density-voltage curves are presented in order to explain the electrical performance of the InGaP/GaAs solar cell by implementing the designed spectrum splitter. The results of the electrical simulations show that the designed InGaP/GaAs solar cell's best efficiency is 34.7% under unconcentrated sunlight. Further improvement is feasible if the parameters of the spectral splitting structure are optimized by the incorporation of non-intuitive optimization algorithms. Lastly, light trapping strategies can also be considered to enhance the efficiency of the solar cells.

Directional invisibility by genetic optimization.

In this Letter, the design of a directional optical cloaking by a genetic algorithm is proposed and realized experimentally. A three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method is combined with the genetic optimization approach to generate the cloaking structure to directionally cloak a cylindrical object made of a perfect electrical conductor by suppressing the undesired scattered fields around the object. The optimization algorithm designs the permittivity distribution of the dielectric polylactide material to achieve an optical cloaking effect. Experimental verifications of the designed cloaking structure are performed at microwave frequencies, where the proposed structure is fabricated by 3D printing. The imperfect conformal mapping from a large-scale permittivity distribution and the compensation of the remaining scattering by a small-scale permittivity distribution are the basic physical mechanisms of the proposed optical cloaking.

Integrated silicon photonic device design by attractor selection mechanism based on artificial neural networks: optical coupler and asymmetric light transmitter.

Recently, different nanophotonic computational design methods based on optimization algorithms have been proposed which revolutionized the conventional design techniques of photonic integrated devices. The intelligently designed photonic devices have small footprints and high operating performance along with their fabrication feasibility. In this study, we introduce a new approach based on attractor selection algorithm to design photonic integrated devices. In order to demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach, we designed two structures: an optical coupler and an asymmetric light transmitter. The designed photonic devices operate at telecom wavelengths and have compact dimensions. The designed optical coupler has a footprint of only 4 × 2 µm2 and coupling efficiency of 87.5% at a design wavelength of 1550 nm with spatial beam width compression ratio of 10:1. Moreover, the designed optical coupler operates at a wide bandwidth of 6.45% where the transmission efficiency is above 80%. In addition, the designed asymmetric light transmitter with a size of 2 × 2 µm2 has the forward and backward transmission efficiencies of 88.1% and 8.6%, respectively. The bandwidth of 3.47% was calculated for the designed asymmetric light transmitter where the forward transmission efficiency is higher than 80% and the backward efficiency transmission is under 10%. In order to evaluate the operating performance of the designed photonic devices, coupling losses are analyzed. The presented results show that the attractor selection algorithm, which is based on artificial neural networks, can bring a conceptual breakthrough for the design of efficient integrated nanophotonic devices.

Polarization-insensitive beam splitters using all-dielectric phase gradient metasurfaces at visible wavelengths.

Beam splitters play important roles in several optical applications, such as interferometers, spectroscopy, and optical communications. In this study, we propose and numerically examine polarization-insensitive beam splitters utilizing two-step phase gradient all-dielectric metasurfaces in the visible spectrum. The metasurface is made of periodically arranged binary unit cells, and phase difference between neighboring unit cells on the surface is 180 deg. The metasurface is shown to have a special phase gradient whose sign changes periodically. The angle of the split beams on both sides and the corresponding total transmission value at 532 nm wavelength are found to be ±46.8° and 0.90, respectively.

Highly controlled Bloch wave propagation in surfaces with broken symmetry.

We propose and demonstrate reduced symmetry photonic surfaces providing highly controlled Bloch wave propagation. The backward and dual directional propagations have been observed in the proposed low-symmetric periodic structures without variation in the unit-cell filling factor. Frequency-domain analyses present group indices up to negative/positive -237/+96 as strong indicators of the observed directional controlled surface waves driven by the orientation angle in the range of 20°-90°. Further verification of the index-based propagation direction has been achieved through detailed time-domain analyses and microwave experiments. Smart management of the propagation direction in low-symmetric surfaces has great potential for next-generation photonic applications.

Broadband self-collimation in C2 symmetric photonic crystals.

In this study, we report a low-symmetric photonic crystal (PhC) structure that exhibits high coupling efficiency in a broadband frequency range with a tilted self-collimating capability. First, the analytical approach is implemented as a starting point, and the ideal configuration is chosen for the self-collimation effect, which is analytically supported by group velocity dispersion and third-order-dispersion calculations. Then, numerical analyses in both time and frequency domains are performed to the ideal PhC design, which possesses a strong self-collimating characteristic, even at huge incident angles within the operating frequencies. Later, experimental measurements are conducted in microwaves, and the existing self-collimation property is still preserved at longer wavelengths in the millimeter scale. The microwave experiment as well as numerical analyses indicate that the designed PhC self-collimator allows overcoming possible misalignment problems at the PhC-source interface and enables a strong broadband beam channeling with a high transmission.

Rainbow trapping in a chirped three-dimensional photonic crystal.

Light localization and intensity enhancement in a woodpile layer-by-layer photonic crystal, whose interlayer distance along the light propagation direction is gradually varied, has been theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated. The phenomenon is shown to be related to the progressive slowing down and stopping of the incident wave, as a result of the gradual variation of the local dispersion. The light localization is chromatically resolved, since every frequency component is stopped and reflected back at different positions along the crystal. It has been further discussed that the peculiar relation between the stopping position and the wave vector distribution can substantially increase the enhancement factor to more than two orders of magnitude. Compared to previously reported one- and two-dimensional photonic crystal configurations, the proposed scheme has the advantage of reducing the propagation losses by providing a three-dimensional photonic bandgap confinement in all directions. The slowing down and localization of waves inside photonic media can be exploited in optics and generally in wave dynamics, in many applications that require enhanced interaction of light and matter.

Numerical and experimental demonstration of a wavelength demultiplexer design by point-defect cavity coupled to a tapered photonic crystal waveguide.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a demultiplexer with point-defect resonators and a reflection feedback mechanism in a photonic crystal waveguide (PCW). A tapered PCW has been chosen as the necessary reflector, which enhances the drop efficiency. Due to the variation of the single-mode waveguide width of the tapered PCW, spatial alteration of the effective refractive index can be achieved. This phenomenon is used to reflect back the forward propagating wave which is then coupled again to the drop channels via the resonators. High transmission efficiency to the dropout channels is numerically predicted by calculations, either in two- and three-dimensional models, and analytically described by a coupled-mode theory. Moreover, an experimental realization in the microwave regime provides confirmation that the targeted wavelengths can be properly transmitted at the drop channels with low crosstalk and relatively high efficiencies.

Multiple slow waves and relevant transverse transmission and confinement in chirped photonic crystals.

The dispersion properties of rod-type chirped photonic crystals (PhCs) and non-channeled transmission in the direction of the variation of structural parameters from one cell of such a PhC to another are studied. Two types of configurations that enable multiple slow waves but differ in the utilized chirping scheme are compared. It is demonstrated that the multiple, nearly flat bands with a group index of refraction exceeding 180 can be obtained. For these bands, transmission is characterized by multiple narrow peaks of perfect transmission, strong field enhancement inside the slab, and large values of the Q-factor. Among the bands, there are some that show negative phase velocity. Symmetry with respect to the slab mid-plane must be kept in order to obtain constructive interferences that are necessary for reflection-free transmission. It is shown that 15 and more slow wave bands can be obtained in one configuration. The corresponding transmission peaks are well separated from each other, being the only significant feature of the transmission spectrum, while the Q-factor can exceed 105. The observed features are preserved in a wide range of the incidence angle variation. They can be used for tuning the locations and spectral widths of the transmission peaks. Some comparisons with the chirped multilayer structures have been carried out.

Optical analysis of human eye using electromagnetic wave theory.

We present a two-dimensional electromagnetic analysis of light propagation through the human eye to examine the eye's optical properties. The electromagnetic approach has intriguing advantages over the conventional and frequently implemented ray optics analysis. The chromatic, spherical, and coma aberrations and the intensity of the focused light at the retina are computed in this work via full-wave analysis. We also investigate the effects of the cornea's and lens's curved structures on the focusing mechanism. The focal length and chromatic and spherical aberrations are observed to change owing to age-related refractive index variation in the lens. In addition, the effects of the lens and curvatures of the human eye on focusing are analyzed. Consequently, for both young and old human eye lenses, the differences due to the aberration variations, curvature surfaces, and gradient index are explored by the wave approach. The intensity distributions on the retina for both on- and off-axis illumination are calculated. A strong correlation between the locations of the nerve fibers and the intensity distribution is confirmed. On the basis of the findings, we can conclude that visual impairment due to deterioration of the human eye structure is more dramatic than that due to aging.