CAREER: Programmable, Reconfigurable, and Tunable Photonic Integrated Circuit Platform through the Fusion of Photonic Crystals and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems

职业：通过光子晶体和纳米机电系统的融合实现可编程、可重新配置和可调谐的光子集成电路平台

• 批准号: 0954765
• 负责人: Liang Dong
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: Iowa State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-01 至 2016-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0954765&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Programmable; Reconfigurable; Tunable; Photonic

Intellectual Merit: The objective of this research is to develop a programmable, reconfigurable, and tunable photonic circuit platform and to explore its smart sensor applications. The platform will allow one to dynamically configure/reconfigure, tune/detune, and erase/rewrite photonic circuits on a single chip upon demand. The approach is combining nano-electro-mechanical systems and planar photonic crystal technologies to manipulate light on the wavelength scale. Nanocantilevers are fabricated over air holes in a photonic crystal slab. Each nanocantilever is individually controllable to bend into an air hole via an electrostatic actuator addressed by electronic integrated circuits. Therefore, local effective refractive indices of photonic lattices can be tuned and programmed flexibly to form various photonic devices and circuits. The smart sensors can be realized by chemically modifying the surface of nanocantilevers on the photonic circuit platform, making it sensitive to specific analytes mechanically. Through dynamic tuning of the photonic platform, the sensors can be agile enough to tune their internal optical circuits to adapt to different situations and requirements.Broader Impacts: This research will provide an unprecedented photonic circuit platform with unique reconfigurablity, tunability and programmability to satisfy the demand for multipurpose and compact photonic chips. The proposed technology could revolutionize photonic circuit design, and open up drastically new possibilities in a broad range of areas, including photonic computing, optical communication, environmental monitoring, biochemical defense, and lab-on-a-chip technologies, thus having great potential economic impact. This research will generate broad educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, benefit curriculum development, and provide opportunities for students to work on research projects at both university and industrial laboratories. A pyramid structure for educational outreach will be established to provide an efficient way to introduce micro/nanotechnology into high schools, middle schools, and grade schools of Iowa. Women and minority students will be attracted into science and engineering through year-round open-lab tours, summer internships, and in-class presentations.

智力优势：本研究的目的是开发一个可编程、可重构、可调谐的光子电路平台，并探索其在智能传感器中的应用。该平台将允许人们根据需要在单个芯片上动态配置/重新配置、调谐/解调以及擦除/重写光子电路。该方法结合了纳米机电系统和平面光子晶体技术，以在波长尺度上操纵光。在光子晶体板的空气孔上制造纳米悬臂梁。每个纳米悬臂可单独控制，以通过由电子集成电路寻址的静电致动器弯曲到气孔中。因此，光子晶格的局域有效折射率可以灵活地调节和编程，以形成各种光子器件和电路。智能传感器可以通过化学修饰光子电路平台上的纳米悬臂梁表面来实现，使其对特定的分析物机械敏感。通过动态调整的光子平台，传感器可以灵活地调整其内部的光电路，以适应不同的情况和需求。更广泛的影响：这项研究将提供一个前所未有的光子电路平台，具有独特的可重构性，可调性和可编程性，以满足多用途和紧凑的光子芯片的需求。拟议的技术可以彻底改变光子电路设计，并在光子计算、光通信、环境监测、生化防御和芯片实验室技术等广泛领域开辟全新的可能性，从而具有巨大的潜在经济影响。这项研究将为本科生和研究生提供广泛的教育机会，有利于课程开发，并为学生提供在大学和工业实验室从事研究项目的机会。将建立一个教育推广的金字塔结构，以提供一个有效的方式将微/纳米技术引入爱荷华州的高中、中学和小学。女性和少数民族学生将通过全年开放实验室图尔斯之旅、暑期实习和课堂演示被吸引到科学和工程领域。