CAREER: Mid-Infrared Photonic Devices and Integrated Circuits on Silicon

目的：该计划的目的是将硅光子学的领域扩展到中红外波长范围。普通的绝缘体上硅平台由于中红外二氧化硅损耗而不适合。蓝宝石在这个波长范围内是透明的，因此所有提出的器件都将在蓝宝石上的硅晶圆上制造。预期的结果是：(a)由量子级联激光器泵浦的无源相干光束组合器；(b)基于硅拉曼激光器的有源相干光束组合器；(c)主动式波束合并器的波长可调版本；(d)参量光放大器和连续介质产生源。知识价值：本课题的知识价值在于：(a)开发一种新型中红外光子平台；(b)不机械地复制现有的近红外结构，设想新的光子设备，仔细针对中红外集成光子学的具体需要；(c)拟议的设备架构考虑到它们在同一硅芯片上的单片集成的要求；(d)将采用硅光子学作为一种补充技术，以推进中红外光子学领域，而不是试图与现有的III-V类化合物半导体技术竞争。更广泛的影响：更广泛的影响是提供：(a)光子学解决方案，在环境和生化传感器、生物医学设备、自由空间通信和国土安全和监视系统中具有潜在的应用，对我们社会的日常生活有直接影响；(b)博士生的跨学科研究背景；(c)与当地教育机构合作开展综合外联活动，涵盖小学至12年级和大学级别的妇女和其他代表性不足的少数民族。

Objective: The objective of this program is to expand the realm of silicon photonics into the mid-infrared wavelength range. The common silicon-on-insulator platform is not suited due to silica loss in the mid-infrared. Sapphire is transparent in this wavelength range, thus all the proposed devices will be fabricated on silicon-on-sapphire wafers. The expected outcomes are: (a) Passive coherent beam-combiners pumped by quantum cascade lasers; (b) Active coherent beam-combiners based on silicon Raman lasers; (c) Wavelength-tunable version of the active beam-combiner; and (d) Parametric optical amplifiers and continuum generation sources.Intellectual merits: The intellectual merit of this program is: (a) It will develop a novel mid-infrared photonics platform; (b) Instead of mechanically duplicating the existing near-infrared architectures, new photonic devices that carefully target the specific needs of mid-infrared integrated photonics are envisioned; (c) The proposed device architectures take into account the requirement of their monolithic integration on the same silicon chip; and (d) Rather than trying to compete with existing technologies on III-V compound semiconductors, silicon photonics will be employed as a complementary technology to advance the field of mid-infrared photonics. Broader impacts: The broader impacts are providing: (a) Photonics solutions with potential applications in environmental and biochemical sensors, biomedical equipment, free-space communications and homeland security and surveillance systems with direct impact on the daily life of our society; (b) Interdisciplinary research context for Ph.D. students; (c) Integrated outreach activities that span K-12 and college-level women and other underrepresented minorities in collaboration with local educational institutions.