CAREER: Chip-scale low-power nonlinear optics using coupled resonators and CROWs

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0642603Intellectual merit: The goal of this project is to investigate and apply a recently-developed optical waveguiding technology based on coupled resonators and coupled-resonator optical waveguides for low-power tunable nonlinear optics. Chi-(3) based parametric processes and nonlinearly-assisted slow wave propagation will be developed for applications such as all-optical wavelength conversion, optical buffering and tunable time delay. The benefit is to avoid using expensive high-power solid-state lasers, difficult and environmentally-sensitive phase-matching layouts using bulk optics, and long lengths of optical fiber. Instead the devices efficiently use low optical power levels compatible with on-chip sources, modulators, and novel waveguide components which can engineer the dispersion and phase-matching conditions.Optical sensing, metrology and data/image processing devices will benefit substantially from low-power on-chip programmable linear/nonlinear filtering functionality. Chip-scale nonlinear photonics will enable advanced optical networking functionality to be performed by end-user devices rather than only at the network core. Desktop computers, handheld notebooks and PDAs, and eventually cellular phones may have optical chipsets based on low-power, highly-efficient wavelength conversion and optical memory technology which will enable them to connect directly to the fiber-optic internet. Heterogeneous networks can be made more efficient, versatile, secure, cost-effective and adaptable if optical buffering and wavelength conversion can be de-centralized from the core routers and gateways without paying a high penalty in complexity or power consumption. Broader impact: The PI has played a principal role developing several of the theoretical and experimental aspects of coupled-resonators (as an area of the rapidly developing field of micro-resonators) over the last five years. This CAREER proposal is fundamental to the PI's efforts on both the research and educational aspects of this field. The work will enhance the infrastructure for optical waveguide research at UCSD by creating a new facility for rapid measurement of dispersive and nonlinear optical properties of resonator-based devices. Instructional material for a novel graduate course "Optical Resonators and their Applications" will be prepared. Graduate and undergraduate student research will be supported, the participation of women in engineering will continue to be developed, and an outreach program for minority students will be enhanced with the involvement of the California Alliance for Minority Participation and the Preuss School at UCSD.