EAGER: Large Scale Photonic Molecules and Applications

题目：EAGER：实现基于光的光子分子电路及其应用。摘要本文提出的探索性研究旨在利用光子分子实现器件和功能，光子分子是电子分子的光学等效物。光子学分子的研究旨在利用光耦合光子谐振微结构来实现类似于电子原子和分子系统的光子功能和行为。光学谐振器可以被认为是光子原子，光子谐振器的集合可以被设计成像光子分子一样，从而实现广泛的新功能、新系统和新应用。该研究成果有望改变光子分子技术领域，实现可使用与晶圆级代工厂集成兼容的大规模光学谐振器阵列的新器件功能。基于光子设计分子行为的能力有可能影响各种各样的应用，并彻底改变传统电子学难以实现的电路的性能、功率、尺寸和缩放。该工作将光子分子技术与基于氮化硅的集成低损耗光波导技术相结合，展示了两种转换功能，一种非磁性光隔离器和一种用于实时低抖动频率和相位恢复的快速采集高质量因子光子电路。这些功能已被证明是难以实现现有的集成光子技术。光隔离器和实时频率和相位恢复都是器件功能，将影响集成光学数字和模拟电路的发展以及各种应用。将开发新的器件仿真和设计工具、布局工具、制造方法和测试方法。所提议的技术的更广泛影响是有可能减少高速数据通信技术的尺寸、重量、成本和功率，当今计算机无法达到的复杂问题的专用硬件模拟，包括许多身体物理学、经济和运输建模，以及生物采样和疾病检测的医疗解决方案。技术描述在这项探索性研究中，PI建议研究利用大型光学谐振器阵列的光子分子的设计和制造，范围从微米到毫米，在超低损耗氮化硅晶圆级集成技术中实现。光子分子可以用光子实现类似于电子原子和分子系统的功能和行为。该项目的目标是展示基于光子分子技术的两个功能：(i)非磁性光隔离器和（ii）用于快速频率和相位恢复的快速采集高q电路。这些功能已被证明很难用其他设备技术实现。非磁光隔离的方法利用离散耦合环谐振器，其折射率用恒定的相位偏移调制，使得时空调制施加有效的角矩并破坏光互易性。高Q的快速光信号采集需要通过在耦合的低Q谐振器和高Q谐振器之间实现光隔离来克服无源谐振器的时间带宽积限制。该谐振器将在晶圆级集成平台上使用低功率压电调谐控制的深蚀刻耦合氮化硅环进行设计和制造。所使用的方法将包括详细的数值模拟，器件设计和布局技术，低损耗光波导耦合谐振器阵列的先进制造和编程互连。提出的工作有助于开发新的工具来设计和制造基于光子分子的电路，这些电路可以扩展到非常大的阵列，并用于当今难以实现的功能和应用，包括用于通信和计算的数字光学电路。

Title: EAGER: Realizing light-based photonic molecule circuits and applications.AbstractNontechnical Description The proposed exploratory research is aimed at realizing devices and functions with photonic molecules, the optical equivalent of electronic molecules. Research in photonics molecules seeks to use optically coupled photonic resonant microstructures to implement functions and behaviors with photons that are analogous to electronic atomic and molecular systems. Optical resonators can be thought of as photonic atoms and collections of photonic resonators can be designed to act like photonic molecules, enabling wide classes of new functions, systems and applications. The research outcome is expected to transform the field of photonic molecule technology by enabling new device functions that can be implemented using large-scale optical resonator arrays compatible with wafer-scale foundry integration. The ability to engineer molecular behavior based on photons has the potential to impact a wide variety of applications and revolutionize the performance, power, size and scaling of circuits difficult to realize with traditional electronics. The proposed work combines photonic molecule techniques with a silicon nitride based integrated low-loss optical waveguide technology to demonstrate two transformative functions, a non-magnetic optical isolator and a fast acquisition high quality factor photonic circuit for real-time low-jitter frequency and phase recovery. These functions have proved to be difficult to realize with current integrated photonic technologies. Optical isolators and real-time frequency and phase recovery are both device functions that will impact the development of integrated optical digital and analog circuits and a wide variety of applications. New device simulation and design tools, layout tools, fabrication methods and testing methodologies will be developed. Broader impact of the proposed technology is the potential to decrease size, weight, cost and power of high-speed data communications technologies, special purpose hardware simulations of complex problems out of reach of today's computers include many body physics, economic and transportation modeling, and medical solutions for biological sampling and disease detection.Technical DescriptionIn this exploratory research, the PI proposes to study the design and fabrication of photonic molecules utilizing large arrays of optical resonators, ranging from micrometer to millimeters sizes, implemented in ultra-low loss silicon nitride wafer-scale integration technology. Photonic molecules can realize functions and behaviors with photons analogous to electronic atomic and molecular systems. The goal of this project will be to demonstrate two functions based on photonic molecule technology: (i) a non-magnetic optical isolator and (ii) a fast acquisition high-Q circuit for fast frequency and phase recovery. These functions have proved to be difficult to realize with other device technologies. The approach to non-magnetic optical isolation utilizes discrete coupled-ring resonators whose refractive indices are modulated with a constant phase offset such that temporal spatial modulation imposes an effective angular moment and breaks optical reciprocity. Fast optical signal acquisition with high Q requires overcoming the time bandwidth product limits of passive resonators by implementing optical isolation between coupled low-Q resonators and high-Q resonators. The resonators will be designed and fabricated using deep etched coupled silicon nitride rings controlled with low power piezo electric tuning in a wafer-scale integration platform. The methods used will incorporate detailed numerical simulations, device design and layout techniques, advanced fabrication of low loss optical waveguide coupled resonator arrays and programming interconnects. The proposed work helps to develop new tools to design and fabricate photonic molecule based circuits that can be scaled to very large arrays and used for functions and applications difficult to implement today including digital optical circuits for communications and computation.