CAREER: Integrated All-Optical WDM Devices Using Photonic Crystals

0239355 Adibi对可靠的高速信息访问的不断增长的需求是当今世界的全球需求。 许多人的生活将通过互联网方便快捷地获取信息而得到改善。通过远程教育等项目，为世界各地更多的人提供低成本和快速的信息访问，对教育和生活质量产生了巨大的全球影响。实现这一目标的最有前途的技术是光通信中的波分复用（WDM）。当今部署的大多数光纤系统都是由相当大的分立元件构成的，需要许多光纤耦合连接，这些连接本身就昂贵、庞大并且会引入损耗。到目前为止，很难将器件用于光的耦合、分选和复用。集成芯片级WDM器件有望提供更低的重量、更高的可靠性、更小的尺寸和更低的电磁干扰敏感度。它进一步消除了对分立光学器件的劳动密集型对准的需要。为了实现集成的芯片级WDM模块，迫切需要将分立器件集成到统一的平台中。在这项研究中，PI试图使用光子晶体（PC）作为这样的平台。光子晶体器件完全设计电磁模式的可能性使其成为设计集成WDM器件的最佳候选器件。 此外，光子带隙的存在消除了通常在正常平板波导中引起WDM信道之间串扰的渐逝场的长尾。 在这个建议中，他使用PC波导，PC腔和PC超棱镜来执行WDM中所需的三个主要功能，即， 引导、滤波和复用/解复用。 目前这些PC设备尚未优化。没有系统的方法来设计这些装置。他将通过优化设计和控制它们的电磁模式，在PC设备中开发这些系统方法。此外，我将开发这些设备的最佳耦合所需的技术，以将它们集成为WDM设备的形式。他的研究包括PC结构的理论和实验研究。主要的研究任务总结如下。 虽然针对一个单一的目标，每个组成部分的努力提供了相当多的理解光子晶体结构，是有价值的各种其他应用。 1)快速有效的三维分析工具的发展，这将使我们能够设计和优化光子晶体的特定线性和非线性光学特性。 2)利用第1部分中开发的模拟工具，发展光子晶体器件，特别是超棱镜、波导和腔中色散工程的系统方法。3)优化离散光子晶体器件之间的耦合，以便将它们集成以执行WDM功能 拟议的研究在基础科学水平和应用水平上都有相当大的影响。 它提供了一个完整的理解，PC波导，腔，超棱镜以及系统的方法来设计这些设备。在应用层面，它可以通过实现芯片级集成WDM产生全球影响。本研究开发的设备类型可用于其他信息处理应用，特别是生物传感器。结合光子晶体的小尺寸和穿孔结构，这些设备可以用于非常小的生物传感器，并将使体内传感器，纳米传感器吞咽，光谱仪在针等在教育方面，这个职业计划为学生提供了一个很好的教育效益。 分析，建模和优化PC结构的能力，以及实际WDM设备的制造和表征的动手实验室工作，使学生能够获得建模，制造和测量技术的经验。 三名研究生和几名本科生将通过这种方式进行培训，以帮助满足行业对纳米技术和光学工程专家的巨大需求。 为K-12和少数民族学生提供学习光学系统的一些基础知识的机会，并让教师参与（在NSF RET计划的帮助下）是该职业计划的其他方面。 他还计划开发一门名为光子晶体器件导论的研究生课程，并将一些关于最先进WDM的材料添加到现有的研究生课程光纤网络中，该课程已经有几年没有教授了。 他还将提高本科课程，激光和应用。PI还将写一本关于光子晶体光波导的书。

0239355AdibiThe ever-increasing need for reliable high-speed information access is a global need in today's world. Many people's lives would be improved by easy and fast access of information through the internet. Providing low-cost and fast information access for more people all over the world has great global impact on education and quality of life through programs like distant learning. The most promising technology for achieving this goal is wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) in optical communications. Most fiber optic systems deployed today are constructed from rather large discrete components, requiring many fiber-coupling connections that are inherently expensive, large and introduce losses. So far, it has been difficult to miniaturize devices for coupling, sorting, and multiplexing of light. It is expected that integrated chip-scale WDM devices can provide lower weight, more reliability, smaller size and less sensitivity to electromagnetic interference. It further eliminates the need for labor-intensive alignment of discrete optical devices. To implement integrated chip-scale WDM modules, there is an urgent need to integrate discrete devices into a unified platform. In this research the PI seeks to use photonic crystals (PCs) as such a platform. The possibility of completely designing electromagnetic modes in photonic crystals devices makes them the excellent candidates for designing integrated WDM devices. Furthermore, the existence of the photonic bandgap eliminates long tails of evanescent fields that usually cause crosstalk between WDM channels in normal slab waveguides. In this proposal he uses PC waveguides, PC cavities, and PC superprisms to perform the three major functionalities requires in WDM, i.e., guiding, filtering, and multiplexing/demultiplexing. Currently these PC devices are not optimized. There is no systematic method for designing these devices. He will develop these systematic methods in PC devices by optimally designing and controlling their electromagnetic modes. Furthermore, I will develop techniques required for optimal coupling of these devices to integrate them in the form of WDM devices. His research includes both theoretical and experimental investigation of PC structures. The major research tasks are summarized below. Although aimed at a single target, each component of the effort provides considerable understanding of photonic crystal structures that are valuable in a variety of other applications. 1) The development of fast and efficient three-dimensional analysis tools which will allow us to design and optimize specific linear and nonlinear optical properties of the photonic crystals. 2) The development of a systematic method for dispersion engineering in photonic crystal devices, especially superprisms, waveguides, and cavities using the simulation tool developed in part 1. 3) Optimization of coupling between discrete photonic crystal devices in order to integrate them to perform WDM functionalities The proposed research has considerable impact both at the basic science level and at the application level. It provides a complete understanding of PC waveguides, cavities, and superprisms as well as a systematic method to design these devices. At the application level, it can have a global impact by realizing chip-scale integrated WDM. The type of devices developed in this research can be used in other information processing applications, especially in biosensors. Combined with the small size and perforated structure of photonic crystals, these devices can be used in very small biosensors that and will enable in vivo sensors, nanosensors to swallow, spectrometers on a needle, etc. On the education side, this CAREER plan provides an excellent educational benefit for students. The ability to analyze, model and optimize PC structures as well as hands-on lab work in fabrication and characterization of actual WDM devices allow students to obtain experience in modeling, fabrication, and measurement techniques. Three graduate and several undergraduate students will be trained this way to help accommodate the huge demand in industry for experts in nanotechnology and optical engineering. Providing K-12 and minority students with the opportunity of learning some basics of optical systems as well as involving teachers (with help from NSF's RET program) are other aspects of this CAREER plan. He also plan to develop a graduate level course entitled Introduction to photonic crystal devices, and to add some material on state-of-the-art WDM to the existing graduate level course, Fiber Optics networks, that has not been taught for a few years. He will also improve the undergraduate course, Lasers and Applications. The PI will also write one book on Photonic Crystal Optical Waveguides.