High-Index-Contrast Waveguides for Enhanced Optoelectronic Devices and Integration

高折射率对比波导用于增强光电器件和集成道格拉斯C.霍尔，诺特达尔大学[0601702]摘要本项目的智力价值在于进一步表征和开发一种新发现的方法，将光限制在低损耗、小几何和紧密弯曲的化合物半导体波导中。原生氧化物通过氧增强湿式热氧化工艺直接生长在蚀刻的砷化铝镓上，具有良好的绝缘、缺陷钝化、粗糙度平滑和光学性能，可产生独特的高折射率对比度波导结构，大大提高半导体激光器的性能。非常高质量的环形谐振器器件将实现紧凑，波长可调的组件。亚微米孔径二极管激光器具有较低的驱动电流要求和更高的输出光束质量和偏振特性。研究了通过可控氧化钝化裂面反射镜来提高二极管激光器可靠性和成本的可能性。具有10-100微米曲率半径的低弯曲损耗波导将被用于展示一条通向非常密集的光子集成电路的新途径。该项目的更广泛影响包括：通过开拓新的平面集成技术来推进光子学的发现和理解，用于紧凑，高性能，有源光电器件（激光器，放大器，探测器等），提供大大超过当今无源硅基技术的功能；使超高速多波长光通信的价格更便宜，从而加速为尚未达到的教育、卫生、公共服务和消费者市场部署光纤到x的社会和经济效益；并通过有效和持续地将研究活动与教学和指导结合起来，丰富广大选民的教育经验。教育活动包括PI参与在圣母大学不断增长的“RET@ND”社区外展工作（使地区学校教师能够有一个暑期研究经验，通过这个经验，他们可以用光传播和半导体器件的科学来活跃他们的教室），由圣母大学纳米科学与技术中心管理的本科生暑期研究经验（REU）项目，将研究设备整合到PI的光子学教学实验室课程的特别项目模块中，并通过参与圣母大学少数民族工程项目（MEP）赞助的项目，向未被充分代表的少数民族提供服务。

High-Index-Contrast Waveguides for Enhanced Optoelectronic Devices and IntegrationDouglas C. Hall, University of Notre Dame0601702AbstractThe intellectual merit of this project lies in the further characterization and exploitation of a newly-discovered method for confining light in low-loss, small geometry and tightly-curved compound semiconductor waveguides. With beneficial insulating, defect passivation, roughness-smoothing, and optical properties, the native oxides grown directly on etched aluminum gallium arsenide through an oxygen-enhanced wet thermal oxidation process yield a unique high-index-contrast waveguide structure to greatly enhance the performance of semiconductor lasers. Very high quality ring resonator devices will be realized for compact, wavelength-tunable components. Sub-micron aperture diode lasers with low drive current requirements and enhanced output beam quality and polarization properties will be developed. The possibility for improving diode laser reliability and cost by passivating the cleaved facet mirrors through controlled oxidation will be investigated. Low-bend-loss waveguides having 10-100 micron curvature radii will be pursued to demonstrate a new path towards very dense photonic integrated circuits.Broader impacts of this project include: advancing discovery and understanding in photonics through the pioneering of new planar integration techniques for compact, high-performance, active optoelectronic devices (lasers, amplifiers, detectors, etc.) to offer functionality which greatly exceeds today's passive silicon-based technology; the societal and economic benefits of making ultra-high-speed multi-wavelength optical communications more affordable to accelerate deployment of fiber-to-the-X for yet un-reached education, health, public service and consumer markets; and enriching the educational experiences of broad constituencies through the effective and continued integration of research activities with teaching and mentoring. Educational activities include the PI's participation in a growing "RET@ND" community outreach effort at Notre Dame (enabling area school teachers to have a summer research experience through which they can enliven their classrooms with the science of light propagation and semiconductor devices), summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs administered by the Notre Dame Center for Nano Science and Technology, incorporating research devices into special-project modules in the PI's Photonics Teaching Laboratory course, and outreach to underrepresented minorities through participation in programs sponsored by the Minority Engineering Program (MEP) at the University of Notre Dame.