Nanostructures in Multiple Quantum Well Optical Waveguides and Microcavities

9412772博伊德的原则方面提出的研究是量子线，光通道波导，微腔结构和光学特性的制造。 FIB诱导的MQW区域的成分混合将是主要的制造技术，而时间分辨和空间分辨的光致发光是用于评估这些结构的质量的主要技术。 由于这些纳米结构是针对增强非线性光学相互作用和提高半导体激光器的性能，我们希望表征量子线和微腔产生的非线性光学效应，并确定FIB制造的微腔结构对半导体激光器的影响。 微腔结构在垂直腔面发射激光器（VCSEL）中有着良好的应用前景，并在法布里-珀罗双稳态开关中有着巨大的应用潜力。 作为拟议研究的一部分，我们将应用FIB处理能力来制造这些结构。 FIB处理（混合和研磨）的直接写入能力预期在器件隔离和pn结形成方面提供显著改进。 FIB系统的高分辨率特性（~50 nm）及其将图案直接写入样品的能力将使我们能够制造几种波导结构，这将阐明非线性光学效应，包括非线性分布反馈光栅，定向耦合器和马赫-曾德尔干涉仪。 我们希望证明全光开关与这些结构的特点是低开关功率。 ***

9412772 Boyd The principle aspects of the proposed research are the fabrication of quantum wires, optical channel waveguides, and microcavity structures and optical characterization of their properties. FIB- induced compositional mixing of MQW regions will be a primary fabrication technique, while time-resolved and spatially-resolved photoluminescence is the main technique to be performed for evaluating the quality of these structures. Since these nanostructures are directed at enhancing nonlinear optical interactions and improving semiconductor laser performance, we expect to characterize nonlinear optical effects resulting from quantum wires and microcavities and to determine the impact of FIB- fabricated microcavity structures on semiconductor lasers. Microcavity structures are finding advantageous use in vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and have considerable potential for the formation of Fabry-Perot bistable switches. As a part of the proposed research, we will be applying FIB processing capability to the fabrication of these structures. The direct write capability of FIB processing (mixing and milling) is expected to provide significant improvement in device isolation and pn junction formation. The high resolution properties (~50 nm) of the FIB system and its capability to direct write patterns onto samples will allow us to fabricate several waveguide structures which will elucidate nonlinear optical effects, including nonlinear distributed feedback gratings, directional couplers, and Mach-Zehnder interferometers. We expect to demonstrate all-optical switching with these structures which will be characterized by low switching powers. ***