An integrated high-speed novel electro-optic power splitter based on interleaved PN junction in a silicon microring resonator has been proposed, which can be used as an ultra-fast, dynamically tunable optical power splitter to efficiently distribute power between various optical stations in Network-on-chip (NoC). The main working principle behind such a device is that we can change the refractive index of the PN junction waveguide under an application of an external reverse bias voltage, enabling the resonator to work as a power splitter. The interleaved PN junction waveguides utilizing the features of greater overlap of the optical waveguide mode with the depletion layer compared to normal PN junction, provide the opportunity to maximize the change in refractive index with minimum applied reverse bias voltage. The carriers (electrons and holes) are depleted near to the p region and n region interface on applying a reverse bias voltage. The depletion region increases with the applied reverse bias voltage, which enhances more interaction with the propagating light. To evaluate the performance of the splitter, we have calculated the change in the effective refractive index and the optical loss due to the free carrier concentrations. The proposed optical power splitter is capable of tuning the power splitting ratio from 0.15 to 7.82, which is a very wide range of tunability with low power consumption (35 mW) and low external voltage (0-3.5 V). We have proposed the use of a high-speed Digital to Analog converter (DAC) to apply an external reverse bias voltage to the interleaved PN junction waveguide.
We present the design and modeling of novel electro-optic modulators and switches that have large extinction ratios, such that these electro-optic modulators and switches operate at the optical communication wavelength range (around 1550 nm). Firstly, we describe the design of an electro-optic modulator based on a tunable slotted ring resonator, having two pairs of partially overlapping graphene layers above and below of the slotted ring (in some portion of the circumference). We demonstrate that the transmission of light through the through port can be modulated by the application of voltage across the graphene layers. Secondly, we discuss the design of electro-optic switches using phase change materials either in a micro disk resonator or in a photonic crystal slab waveguide. These devices are based on the shift in the resonant frequency of a micro disk resonator and on the shift in the photonic bandgap of the photonic crystal slab waveguide, respectively, when its refractive index changes upon the application of voltage across the phase change material. A three dimensional finite-difference time-domain modeling software (Lumerical FDTD) was used for optical modeling and a commercial device modeling software (Lumerical DEVICE) was for the electrical modeling. The proposed electro-optic modulators and electro-optic switches can be used in optoelectronics, as well in the telecom wavelength range.
In this paper, we describe the design and modeling of novel long-range hybrid plasmonic waveguides that consist of both plasmonic thin films and nano-scale structures of a high refractive index material (such as silicon), with a material of low refractive index (such as silicon di-oxide) lying in the region between the nano-scale structures and the plasmonic thin film. We have employed complex geometry of silicon nanostructures in the vicinity of a plasmonic thin film. The effective refractive index and the corresponding propagation length obtained for these plasmonic waveguides and hybrid plasmonic waveguides were obtained using a full-vector finite difference eigen mode solver. In our simulations, different structural parameters of the the hybrid plasmonic waveguides were varied, and the effect of these parameters ⎯ on the propagation length and effective mode area ⎯ was analyzed. We describe the design of novel hybrid plasmonic waveguides that have a propagation length greater than 1 mm and also have a low effective mode area. The waveguides being proposed by us can be fabricated with relative ease using the standard lithography processes.
This paper presents hybrid plasmonic substrates fabricated by a combination of bottom-up and top-down process of fabrication which can be employed as efficient Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for chemical sensing. The hybrid approach leads to a cost-efficient fabrication with smaller fabrication times than the pure top-down approach and higher degree of control than the pure bottom-up approach. We demonstrate the achievement of sub-20 nm gaps on a large area with this hybrid methodology. These small gaps lead to the formation of electromagnetic hotspots, i.e., regions of high electromagnetic enhancement. The electromagnetic behavior of these substrates is analyzed theoretically using Finite Difference Time Domain modeling. The sub-20 nm gaps lead to the electromagnetic SERS enhancements of the order of ∼108, and a change in the gap size can tune the plasmon resonance wavelength from the visible to the near-IR region of the spectrum. It is thus shown that these SERS substrates offer high SERS enhancement along with a capability of passive tunability of the plasmon resonance wavelength by changing the geometrical parameters in these substrates.
A highly sensitive and easy-to-fabricate hydrogen sensor based on a plasmonic ‘gold nanowire array on a palladium layer deposited on a metallic substrate' is proposed. Plasmonic waveguide modes are excited in the gaps between the nanowires in this ‘gold nanowire array on a palladium spacer layer deposited on a metallic substrate' system. As incident light is coupled into the plasmonic modes, a dip in the reflectance spectra is observed at the resonant wavelength, i.e., the wavelength at which the incident light is coupled into plasmonic modes. On exposure to hydrogen, the palladium spacer layer transforms to palladium hydride (PdHx), where x, the atomic ratio of H:Pd, increases as the hydrogen concentration increases. This transformation changes the optical properties of the Pd layer, and hence the position of the resonance wavelengths (λres), i.e., the position of the reflection dips in the reflectance spectra of the Au-Pd-Au system, for various concentrations of hydrogen. The difference between the positions of the resonant wavelengths of PdHx and Pd, (λres(PdHx)−λres(Pd)), is used as a measure of the sensitivity of the proposed hydrogen sensor. Analysis of this shift in the plasmon resonance wavelength is done numerically, using Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) for various values of d, the side length of the nanowires; t, the thickness of the Pd spacer; g, the gap between the adjacent nanowires and θ, the angle of the incident radiation. It is found that, in the presence of hydrogen, the maximum shift in the resonance wavelength for the proposed sensor is ~41 nm as compared to the case when hydrogen is absent. This shift in the resonance wavelength is higher than many currently employed plasmonic Pd-based hydrogen sensors. Thus, the proposed ‘gold nanowire array on a palladium spacer layer deposited on a metallic substrate' is an easy-to-fabricate, selective and sensitive hydrogen sensor.
Bridged-bowtie nanohole arrays and cross bridged-bowtie nanohole arrays in a gold film are presented as surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. We employed the numerical FDTD method to calculate the maximum electromagnetic SERS enhancement factor (EF) as a function of wavelength. It is found that the proposed nanohole arrays do not only display an extremely large enhancement factor but also have the hotspot spread over a larger area compared to the various other nanopillar structures. The calculation of electromagnetic SERS enhancement factor reveals that the cross bridged-bowtie nanohole arrays exhibit the maximum electromagnetic SERS EF of ~ 109 spreading over an area of 100 nm2. In addition, the electromagnetic SERS EF of ~ 108 is spread over 500 nm2 area which is higher than hotspot area in case of nanopillar structures. The resonance wavelength of the nanohole array can be tuned by varying the size of the nanoholes. These nanohole arrays can be employed both in transmission as well as in reflection mode as effective SERS substrates. In addition, bridged-bowtie and cross bridged-bowtie nanohole arrays show the significantly high electromagnetic SERS EF at more than one wavelength and therefore are useful for application involving multiple wavelength SERS response. Furthermore, the cross bridged-bowtie nanohole array exhibit the spatial tunability of hotspot by rotating the direction of polarization of incident field.
In this letter, we present a novel optical power splitter having an arbitrary split-ratio that can be tuned over a wide range by employing relatively low voltage levels. It is based on a slotted ring resonator. A 120 nm electro-optic polymer-filled slot is created throughout the circumference of the ring. The hybrid ring resonator is made to work between the full and off resonance states, allowing it to work as a power splitter. This is done by changing the refractive index of the electrooptic polymer inside the slot by the application of an external electric field. The splitter combines the electro-optic functionality of the polymer with the high index contrast of the silicon, resulting in a low tuning voltage power splitter. Over a small voltage range of 0-1 V, it is possible to change the split-ratio of this splitter from 0.031-16.738, making it 10 times better than other competing designs. In addition, it takes less than 500 ps to reconfigure the splitter.
In this paper, we present a new design for an electro-optic modulator ⎯ operating at the telecomm wavelength of 1550 nm and having a very high extinction ratio ⎯ based on photonic crystal (PhC) slab waveguide and phase change material Germanium Selenide (GeSe) embedded in core silicon layer. The device is based on the shifting of the photonic bandgap of the PhC slab waveguide when the refractive index of the GeSe layer changes on application of electric field. Since GeSe changes from its phase crystalline to amorphous on application of an electric field, its refractive index also changes when this phase transition occurs. As a result of a large refractive index contrast between the two phases, the change in the effective refractive index in the PhC slab waveguide is also very high. With two self-sustainable states, the hybrid modulator shows broadband switching capability and an On/Off extinction ratio > 37 dB around a wavelength of 1550 nm.
We propose and design long-range hybrid plasmonic waveguides (HPW) consisting of a combination of plasmonic thin film and nano-scale structures of a high refractive index material (such as silicon), with a low refractive index material (such as silica) surrounding the nano-scale structures and the plasmonic thin film. The effective refractive index and the corresponding propagation length obtained for these plasmonic waveguides, obtained using a full-vector finite difference eigen mode (FDE) solver, demonstrates the viability of these hybrid plasmonic waveguides in applications that demands long propagation range with reasonable field confinement. These waveguides not only have high propagation lengths ⎯ even greater than 1 mm for certain geometrical parameters of the plasmonic waveguides ⎯ but can also have tight mode confinement (low effective mode area). Moreover, the proposed hybrid plasmonic waveguides can also be easily fabricated using the conventional nanolithography processes. Moreover, we study the effect of the variation of different waveguide parameters on the propagation length and effective mode area.
We describe plasmonic switches consisting of 1-D arrays of plasmonic nanostructures such that they have thin films of vanadium-dioxide (VO2) in the vicinity of the plasmonic nanostructures. A multi-wavelength plasmonic switch is presented based on one dimensional plasmonic, asymmetric narrow-groove nanogratings (ANGN), coated with a thin layer of VO2. Incident optical radiation is coupled into plasmonic waveguide modes in metallic narrow-groove nanogratings leading to a localization of electromagnetic fields inside the narrow grooves. The switching is exhibited due to coating of a thin layer of VO2 ⎯ a material whose phase changes from semiconductor to metal on exposure to heat, IR radiation or voltage. As the phase of VO2 changes, it undergoes a change in its dielectric and optical properties. This phase transition in the thin layer of VO2 coated on the nanograting changes the overall optical response from the nanograting, thus exhibiting a switching in the reflectance spectra. The switchability is analyzed through the differential reflectance spectrum which is obtained by subtracting the reflectance spectra of VO2 (M) coated ANGNs from the reflectance spectra of VO2 (S) coated ANGNs. Asymmetry is created in these narrow-groove nanogratings by choosing different values for the narrow-groove gaps. Rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) and finite difference time domain (FDTD) modeling demonstrates that ⎯ due to the presence of asymmetric groove widths ⎯ the incident light is coupled into plasmonic modes in all the grooves at different resonant wavelengths. The presence of several resonant wavelengths in reflectance spectra of ANGNs gives rise to multiple dips and peaks in the differential reflectance spectra, thus exhibiting multiple switching wavelengths. Thus, these asymmetric plasmonic narrow-groove nanogratings can be employed for switching at multiple wavelengths.
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