Chip-scale classical and quantum nonlinear photonic mixers

该计划的目标是开发一种芯片规模的技术，用于紧凑和高效的非线性经典和量子光子混合器，同时保持与硅集成光电子学的兼容性。所提出的研究建立在以下几个方面的最新成果的基础上：慢光增强的非线性比传统的硅纳米光子光波导高20倍，低损耗耦合硅微环谐振腔光波导的长链自发四波混频产生相关光子，以及氮化物包层硅光波导中电信波段到红外四波混频的转换。器件的设计、制造和测量将结合电光功能、材料工程和光刻图案化，以显著提高非线性光学频率转换应用的品质因数。与基于光纤或基于晶体的大块非线性光学系统相比，智能优势是开发芯片级器件，在能源效率方面提高数量级，并在尺寸、重量和成本方面减少。对经典和量子领域的电光和非线性光学现象的系统研究将产生新的科学见解，弥合这些领域之间的传统障碍。该项目的成果将是创造用于数据和自由空间通信、化学和生物分子光谱学、传感、计量学、密码学和量子光子学的光电子器件。更广泛的影响是整合几个现代科学学科，研究生将获得宝贵的接触，并从与行业和政府实验室的研究合作中受益，这些实验室为新的科学突破的现场应用提供了更广阔的前景和范围。

The objective of this program is to develop a chip-scale technology for compact and efficient nonlinear classical and quantum photonic mixers while maintaining compatibility with silicon integrated optoelectronics. Proposed research builds on recent accomplishments of slow-light enhanced nonlinearity which is 20x higher than that of conventional silicon nanophotonic waveguides, correlated photon generation via spontaneous four-wave mixing in long chains of low loss coupled silicon microring resonator waveguides, and telecom-band to infrared four-wave mixing conversion in nitride-clad silicon waveguides. Devices will be designed, fabricated and measured which combine electro-optic functionality, materials engineering and lithographic patterning to substantially improve the figures of merit of nonlinear optical frequency conversion applications. The intellectual merit is to develop chip-scale devices with orders-of-magnitude improvement in energy efficiency, and reduction in size, weight and cost, compared to fiber-based or crystal-based bulk nonlinear optical systems. Novel scientific insights will emerge from the systematic study of combined electro-optic and nonlinear optical phenomena in both the classical and quantum regime, bridging traditional barriers between those fields. The outcome of this project will be the creation of optoelectronic devices useful for data and free-space communication, chemical and biomolecular spectroscopy, sensing, metrology, cryptography, and quantum photonics.The broader impacts are to integrate several modern scientific disciplines, to which graduate students will gain valuable exposure and benefit from research collaborations with industry and government laboratories which provide broader perspective and scope for field applications of the novel scientific breakthroughs.