CAREER: Programmable, Reconfigurable, and Tunable Photonic Integrated Circuit Platform through the Fusion of Photonic Crystals and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems

智能价值：这项研究的目标是开发一个可编程、可重构和可调的光子电路平台，并探索其智能传感器应用。该平台将允许用户根据需要在单个芯片上动态配置/重新配置、调谐/去调谐和擦除/重写光子电路。这种方法是将纳米机电系统和平面光子晶体技术结合起来，在波长尺度上操纵光。在光子晶体平板上的气孔上制作了纳米悬臂。每个纳米悬臂梁都可以单独控制，通过电子集成电路寻址的静电致动器弯曲到空气孔中。因此，可以灵活地调谐和编程光子晶格的局部有效折射率，以形成各种光子器件和电路。智能传感器可以通过对光子电路平台上的纳米悬臂表面进行化学修饰来实现，使其对特定的分析物具有机械敏感性。通过动态调整光子平台，传感器可以灵活地调整其内部光电路以适应不同的情况和要求。广泛的影响：本研究将提供一个前所未有的具有独特的可重构性、可调谐性和可编程性的光子电路平台，以满足对多用途和紧凑型光子芯片的需求。这项拟议的技术可能会给光子电路设计带来革命性的变化，并在光子计算、光通信、环境监测、生化防御和芯片实验室技术等广泛领域开辟全新的可能性，从而产生巨大的潜在经济影响。这项研究将为本科生和研究生创造广泛的教育机会，有利于课程开发，并为学生提供在大学和工业实验室从事研究项目的机会。将建立一个金字塔结构的教育推广，以提供一种有效的方式，将微/纳米技术引入爱荷华州的高中、初中和小学。女性和少数族裔学生将通过全年开放实验室之旅、暑期实习和课堂演示来吸引她们进入科学和工程专业。

Intellectual Merit: The objective of this research is to develop a programmable, reconfigurable, and tunable photonic circuit platform and to explore its smart sensor applications. The platform will allow one to dynamically configure/reconfigure, tune/detune, and erase/rewrite photonic circuits on a single chip upon demand. The approach is combining nano-electro-mechanical systems and planar photonic crystal technologies to manipulate light on the wavelength scale. Nanocantilevers are fabricated over air holes in a photonic crystal slab. Each nanocantilever is individually controllable to bend into an air hole via an electrostatic actuator addressed by electronic integrated circuits. Therefore, local effective refractive indices of photonic lattices can be tuned and programmed flexibly to form various photonic devices and circuits. The smart sensors can be realized by chemically modifying the surface of nanocantilevers on the photonic circuit platform, making it sensitive to specific analytes mechanically. Through dynamic tuning of the photonic platform, the sensors can be agile enough to tune their internal optical circuits to adapt to different situations and requirements.Broader Impacts: This research will provide an unprecedented photonic circuit platform with unique reconfigurablity, tunability and programmability to satisfy the demand for multipurpose and compact photonic chips. The proposed technology could revolutionize photonic circuit design, and open up drastically new possibilities in a broad range of areas, including photonic computing, optical communication, environmental monitoring, biochemical defense, and lab-on-a-chip technologies, thus having great potential economic impact. This research will generate broad educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, benefit curriculum development, and provide opportunities for students to work on research projects at both university and industrial laboratories. A pyramid structure for educational outreach will be established to provide an efficient way to introduce micro/nanotechnology into high schools, middle schools, and grade schools of Iowa. Women and minority students will be attracted into science and engineering through year-round open-lab tours, summer internships, and in-class presentations.