Large-scale synthesis of a silicon photonic crystal with a complete three-dimensional bandgap near 1.5 micrometres

Photonic technology, using light instead of electrons as the information carrier, is increasingly replacing electronics in communication and information management systems. Microscopic light manipulation, for this purpose, is achievable through photonic bandgap materials, a special class of photonic crystals in which three-dimensional, periodic dielectric constant variations controllably prohibit electromagnetic propagation throughout a specified frequency band. This can result in the localization of photons, thus providing a mechanism for controlling and inhibiting spontaneous light emission that can be exploited for photonic device fabrication. In fact, carefully engineered line defects could act as waveguides connecting photonic devices in all-optical microchips, and infiltration of the photonic material with suitable liquid crystals might produce photonic bandgap structures (and hence light-flow patterns) fully tunable by an externally applied voltage. However, the realization of this technology requires a strategy for the efficient synthesis of high-quality, large-scale photonic crystals with photonic bandgaps at micrometre and sub-micrometre wavelengths, and with rationally designed line and point defects for optical circuitry. Here we describe single crystals of silicon inverse opal with a complete three-dimensional photonic bandgap centred on 1.46 microm, produced by growing silicon inside the voids of an opal template of dose-packed silica spheres that are connected by small 'necks' formed during sintering, followed by removal of the silica template. The synthesis method is simple and inexpensive, yielding photonic crystals of pure silicon that are easily integrated with existing silicon-based microelectronics.     

On-chip natural assembly of silicon photonic bandgap crystals.

Photonic bandgap crystals can reflect light for any direction of propagation in specific wavelength ranges. This property, which can be used to confine, manipulate and guide photons, should allow the creation of all-optical integrated circuits. To achieve this goal, conventional semiconductor nanofabrication techniques have been adapted to make photonic crystals. A potentially simpler and cheaper approach for creating three-dimensional periodic structures is the natural assembly of colloidal microspheres. However, this approach yields irregular, polycrystalline photonic crystals that are difficult to incorporate into a device. More importantly, it leads to many structural defects that can destroy the photonic bandgap. Here we show that by assembling a thin layer of colloidal spheres on a silicon substrate, we can obtain planar, single-crystalline silicon photonic crystals that have defect densities sufficiently low that the bandgap survives. As expected from theory, we observe unity reflectance in two crystalline directions of our photonic crystals around a wavelength of 1.3 micrometres. We also show that additional fabrication steps, intentional doping and patterning, can be performed, so demonstrating the potential for specific device applications.     

超快速光子晶体全光开关研究

光子晶体作为一种新型的人造光子学材料,具有独特的光子带隙特性,能有效地控制光子的传输状态,因而是实现全光开关等集成光子器件的重要基础。介绍了基于光子晶体的全光开关的各种实现方法,并详细论述了超快速光子晶体全光开关的实验研究状况。     

Broad-band optical parametric gain on a silicon photonic chip

Developing an optical amplifier on silicon is essential for the success of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) photonic integrated circuits. Recently, optical gain with a 1-nm bandwidth was demonstrated using the Raman effect, which led to the demonstration of a Raman oscillator, lossless optical modulation and optically tunable slow light. A key strength of optical communications is the parallelism of information transfer and processing onto multiple wavelength channels. However, the relatively narrow Raman gain bandwidth only allows for amplification or generation of a single wavelength channel. If broad gain bandwidths were to be demonstrated on silicon, then an array of wavelength channels could be generated and processed, representing a critical advance for densely integrated photonic circuits. Here we demonstrate net on/off gain over a wavelength range of 28 nm through the optical process of phase-matched four-wave mixing in suitably designed SOI channel waveguides. We also demonstrate wavelength conversion in the range 1,511-1,591 nm with peak conversion efficiencies of +5.2 dB, which represents more than 20 times improvement on previous four-wave-mixing efficiencies in SOI waveguides. These advances allow for the implementation of dense wavelength division multiplexing in an all-silicon photonic integrated circuit. Additionally, all-optical delays, all-optical switches, optical signal regenerators and optical sources for quantum information technology, all demonstrated using four-wave mixing in silica fibres, can now be transferred to the SOI platform.     

All-optical control of light on a silicon chip

Photonic circuits, in which beams of light redirect the flow of other beams of light, are a long-standing goal for developing highly integrated optical communication components. Furthermore, it is highly desirable to use silicon--the dominant material in the microelectronic industry--as the platform for such circuits. Photonic structures that bend, split, couple and filter light have recently been demonstrated in silicon, but the flow of light in these structures is predetermined and cannot be readily modulated during operation. All-optical switches and modulators have been demonstrated with III-V compound semiconductors, but achieving the same in silicon is challenging owing to its relatively weak nonlinear optical properties. Indeed, all-optical switching in silicon has only been achieved by using extremely high powers in large or non-planar structures, where the modulated light is propagating out-of-plane. Such high powers, large dimensions and non-planar geometries are inappropriate for effective on-chip integration. Here we present the experimental demonstration of fast all-optical switching on silicon using highly light-confining structures to enhance the sensitivity of light to small changes in refractive index. The transmission of the structure can be modulated by up to 94% in less than 500 ps using light pulses with energies as low as 25 pJ. These results confirm the recent theoretical prediction of efficient optical switching in silicon using resonant structures.     

密度对一维铝/硅橡胶声子晶体低频带隙的调控

选用金属材料铝和非金属材料硅橡胶,设计出一维铝/硅橡胶声子晶体结构.采用固体物理学中的集中质量法,基于MATLAB编程计算该声子晶体的能带结构.通过单一改变结构中材料铝的密度或者单一改变材料硅橡胶的密度,寻找单一材料密度变化对结构第1带隙的影响规律.结果表明：一维铝/硅橡胶声子晶体的第1带隙起始频率较低为30.6994 Hz,第1带隙带宽为45.479 Hz;当增大结构中两种组合材料的密度差值,可调节结构获得相对的低频、宽带带隙.研究结论可应用于低频率振动控制器件的设计.     

法拉第效应对N掺杂硅耦合腔光波导群速度的调控研究

耦合腔光波导是由光子晶体点缺陷的缺陷模式相互耦合而实现的,群速度是其重要的性能指标?本文模拟了由N掺杂半导体硅构成的光子晶体耦合腔光波导的能带结构?模拟发现,借助N掺杂半导体硅的法拉第效应,逆着光的传播方向施加磁场,缺陷模式所对应的相对介电参数会变小,群速度也随之逐渐降低,可以获得2.088×10^-4c的群速度,证实了法拉第磁光效应对波导群速度的调控作用?这一性能为如何在太赫兹或更低频段实现慢光效应提供了一种新的有效方式?     

A high-speed silicon optical modulator based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor

Silicon has long been the optimal material for electronics, but it is only relatively recently that it has been considered as a material option for photonics. One of the key limitations for using silicon as a photonic material has been the relatively low speed of silicon optical modulators compared to those fabricated from III-V semiconductor compounds and/or electro-optic materials such as lithium niobate. To date, the fastest silicon-waveguide-based optical modulator that has been demonstrated experimentally has a modulation frequency of only approximately 20 MHz (refs 10, 11), although it has been predicted theoretically that a approximately 1-GHz modulation frequency might be achievable in some device structures. Here we describe an approach based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor structure embedded in a silicon waveguide that can produce high-speed optical phase modulation: we demonstrate an all-silicon optical modulator with a modulation bandwidth exceeding 1 GHz. As this technology is compatible with conventional complementary MOS (CMOS) processing, monolithic integration of the silicon modulator with advanced electronics on a single silicon substrate becomes possible.     

Stationary pulses of light in an atomic medium

Physical processes that could facilitate coherent control of light propagation are under active exploration. In addition to their fundamental interest, these efforts are stimulated by practical possibilities, such as the development of a quantum memory for photonic states. Controlled localization and storage of photonic pulses may also allow novel approaches to manipulating of light via enhanced nonlinear optical processes. Recently, electromagnetically induced transparency was used to reduce the group velocity of propagating light pulses and to reversibly map propagating light pulses into stationary spin excitations in atomic media. Here we describe and experimentally demonstrate a technique in which light propagating in a medium of Rb atoms is converted into an excitation with localized, stationary electromagnetic energy, which can be held and released after a controllable interval. Our method creates pulses of light with stationary envelopes bound to an atomic spin coherence, offering new possibilities for photon state manipulation and nonlinear optical processes at low light levels.     

Controlling the dynamics of spontaneous emission from quantum dots by photonic crystals

Control of spontaneously emitted light lies at the heart of quantum optics. It is essential for diverse applications ranging from miniature lasers and light-emitting diodes, to single-photon sources for quantum information, and to solar energy harvesting. To explore such new quantum optics applications, a suitably tailored dielectric environment is required in which the vacuum fluctuations that control spontaneous emission can be manipulated. Photonic crystals provide such an environment: they strongly modify the vacuum fluctuations, causing the decay of emitted light to be accelerated or slowed down, to reveal unusual statistics, or to be completely inhibited in the ideal case of a photonic bandgap. Here we study spontaneous emission from semiconductor quantum dots embedded in inverse opal photonic crystals. We show that the spectral distribution and time-dependent decay of light emitted from excitons confined in the quantum dots are controlled by the host photonic crystal. Modified emission is observed over large frequency bandwidths of 10%, orders of magnitude larger than reported for resonant optical microcavities. Both inhibited and enhanced decay rates are observed depending on the optical emission frequency, and they are controlled by the crystals' lattice parameter. Our experimental results provide a basis for all-solid-state dynamic control of optical quantum systems.     

光波在一维光子晶体中传播行为的数值研究

由Kronig-Penney模型导出了光波在一雏光子晶体中传播的群速度的解析表达式，利用传输矩阵法对一维光子晶体的色散关系和群速度分布特征进行了数值研究．结果表明，光波在光子晶体中传播的群速度与光子带隙结构及色散特性有着密切的联系，光子导带内的群速度为有限值，在光子禁带的边缘，群速度迅速减小而趋于0，光的传播具有显著的带边延迟效应．同时，在反常色散区，群速度为负值，光的传播表现出明显的超光速现象．光子晶体的结构参数直接影响光波在光子晶体中的群速度．     

Slow light in tapered slot photonic crystal waveguide

A slotted single-mode photonic crystal waveguide with a linear tapered slot is presented to realize slow light, whose dispersion curve is shifted by changing the slot width. When the slot width is reduced, the band curve shifts in the tapered structure, and the group velocity of light approach zero at the cut-off frequency. Therefore, different frequency components of the guided light are slowed down even localized along the propagation direction inside a tapered slot photonic crystal waveguide. Furthermore, this structure can confine slow light-wave in a narrow slot waveguide, which may effectively enhance the interaction between slow light and the low-index wave-guiding materials filled in the slot. In addition, this tapered slot structure can be used to compensate group velocity dispersion of slow light by modifying the structure, thus opening the opportunity for ultra-wide bandwidth slow light.     

基于光子晶体光纤非线性环路镜光开关的研究

采用光子晶体光纤构成非线性光学环路镜,利用非线性环路镜中信号光与控制光之间交叉相位调制效应实现全光开关. 讨论了光子晶体光纤结构参数对其非线性的影响,建立了基于光子晶体光纤非线性环路镜光开关的理论模型,研究了光开关的透过特性及影响光开关性能的因素. 研究结果表明,基于光子晶体光纤非线性环路镜的光开关,可以在较短的环长和较低的开关功率下实现高速光开关操作,其开关特性可由控制光功率灵活调控. 光子晶体光纤非线性环路镜光开关为实现用于高速光通信系统中的光开关技术提供了一种重要思路.     

Nanoscale all-optical devices based on surface plasmon polaritons

Surface plasmon polariton, a kind of surface electromagnetic wave propagating along the interface between metals and dielectrics, provides an excellent platform for the realization of integrated photonic devices due to its unique properties of confining light into subwavelength scales. Our recent research progresses of nanoscale integrated photonic devices based on surface plasmon polaritons, including all-optical switches, all-optical logic discriminator, and all-optical routers, are introduced in detail.     

光子晶体及其应用研究

对光子晶体的性质和应用,如光局域化或光子晶体波导,甚至于是沿着一个很尖锐的弯曲的光子晶体波导能力,以及光子晶体激光器,进行了讨论.在这一技术领域,有许多基础方面的特点被认为是正确的,但却没有给出严格的证明.这是由于下列两方面的原因,第一是这个新领域发展的非常迅速,第二是由于在光子晶体中分析电磁波是很困难的,除了使用计算机去得到定量结果外,没有别的选择.板型的光子晶体(带有一个周期性空洞系统的高折射率板片),对高集成的光电路器件来说,也许是最佳结构.     

一维非线性光子晶体全光开关

为得到响应时间较短的全光开关,在光子晶体的所有高折射率层掺入Kerr介质,基于Kerr非线性效应导致的禁带整体移动原理,设计了两种一维光子晶体全光开关结构。应用时域有限差分(FD-TD：Finite Difference-Time Domain)法,编制Matlab计算程序,对全光开关进行数值特性分析。讨论频率混合效应对全光开关的影响。观察光子局域效应增强光子晶体非线性的现象,验证光子局域效应与光子晶体完整周期结构的层数有关,层数太少光子局域效应不明显。     

量子干涉及其在光存储中的应用

全光通信一直是光通信领域的一个追求,其中最大的瓶颈来源于过去光电转换的不可或缺。近些年来,随着量子干涉与量子信息技术的发展,人们已经实现了对于光脉冲实施群速度的任意操控,乃至于将光脉冲相干地存储在介质中,然后释放出来。这为最终真正地实现可以实用的光存储,并最终实现全光通信带来了极大的希望。     

Matlab模拟干涉光束参数对光子晶体结构的影响

光子晶体作为一种新型人工周期性电介质材料,具有广泛的应用前景.激光全息干涉法是制备光子晶体的最有前途的方法之一,它利用多束相干光束干涉的原理制备光子晶体结构,由于此不同的光学参数对制备的光子晶体结构会产生重要的影响,采用实验研究效率较低,而通过数值模拟可以从理论上确定干涉图案的光强分布,并得到直观的模拟图案,因此先使用计算机进行模拟光学参数影响的研究是十分必要的.本文根据多光束干涉的理论模型,使用Matlab模拟得到了多光束干涉形成的二维光子晶体结构.同时,根据计算机模拟结果,研究了光束的偏振角、方位角、极角、相位等参数对干涉图案的影响.通过模拟发现,方位角影响着干涉结构的对称性;偏振角的改变会引起干涉图案光强极大值和极小值的大小和绝对位置发生改变;相位的改变对干涉结构较小,但在实验中为提高制备的精确性,应该考虑相位的影响;极角影响着光强的空间分布.因此,本文为逆推特殊光子晶体结构的干涉光束参数提供了帮助.     

多光楔板制作大面积光折变光子微结构

提出了一种制作大面积光子微结构的简便方法,利用多光楔板产生大面积的多光束干涉,在光折变晶体中制作出了大面积的周期性光子微结构和准周期性的光子准晶微结构。该方法简便易行,系统稳定性好,无须复杂的调节装置,制作效率高。使用导波强度图像、远场衍射图样、布里渊区光谱成像等方法对制作的大面积光子微结构进行了验证和分析。设计不同的多光楔板,可以制作出多种更复杂的大面积光子微结构。通过适当的处理,制作的大面积光子微结构可以长久地固定在光折变晶体中,也可以擦除后用于制作新的结构,这在集成光学和微纳光子器件领域具有良好的应用前景。     

Electromagnetically induced transparency and slow light with optomechanics

Controlling the interaction between localized optical and mechanical excitations has recently become possible following advances in micro- and nanofabrication techniques. So far, most experimental studies of optomechanics have focused on measurement and control of the mechanical subsystem through its interaction with optics, and have led to the experimental demonstration of dynamical back-action cooling and optical rigidity of the mechanical system. Conversely, the optical response of these systems is also modified in the presence of mechanical interactions, leading to effects such as electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and parametric normal-mode splitting. In atomic systems, studies of slow and stopped light (applicable to modern optical networks and future quantum networks) have thrust EIT to the forefront of experimental study during the past two decades. Here we demonstrate EIT and tunable optical delays in a nanoscale optomechanical crystal, using the optomechanical nonlinearity to control the velocity of light by way of engineered photon-phonon interactions. Our device is fabricated by simply etching holes into a thin film of silicon. At low temperature (8.7 kelvin), we report an optically tunable delay of 50 nanoseconds with near-unity optical transparency, and superluminal light with a 1.4 microsecond signal advance. These results, while indicating significant progress towards an integrated quantum optomechanical memory, are also relevant to classical signal processing applications. Measurements at room temperature in the analogous regime of electromagnetically induced absorption show the utility of these chip-scale optomechanical systems for optical buffering, amplification, and filtering of microwave-over-optical signals.