CAREER On-chip non-classical light sources in nanophotonic platforms

摘要：该项目的目标是研究光长时间被限制在非常小体积的物质中时的行为。早期的工作表明，在硅上制造的新一代结构可能实现如此强的光约束，从而产生所谓的非经典光。这是一种本质上与太阳或激光产生的光不同的光，只能用量子理论来解释，即非经典理论。这种结构完全集成在芯片上，形成纳米级的光子平台，也就是说，小到人类空气直径的百分之一。该项目位于凝聚态物理、量子光子学、材料科学和纳米技术的交叉点，从物理学和工程学的广泛领域汲取专业知识，同时为推进基础研究和变革性光子器件提供了重大机会。光子学已被公认为未来繁荣的关键使能技术之一。该项目研究了量子增强设备的物理和工程，这些设备可能构成利用硅基设备成熟基础设施的未来光子技术的基石。这一领域的进步可能会使计算和通信设备具有卓越的性能，并对能源、国防和制造业产生广泛的影响。同时，对非经典光的研究对基础科学有着巨大的影响。在基本层面上，光的量子特性与现代科学密切相关，并在物理学和测量理论的实验基础中发挥着核心作用。本研究的跨学科特点及其对技术和社会的广泛影响为不同院系的本科生和研究生提供了极好的教育机会。该项目包含了一个强有力的外展计划，并加强了与国家实验室、NIST和世界级跨国大学的互补和合作。技术摘要：在本项目中，我将研究基于硅和III-V半导体量子点非线性的单光子水平的新型片上纳米光子结构。这种设备利用量子相干性作为其核心操作，同时利用遗传进化方法设计的光子功能。这一目标的实现将涉及数值模拟、纳米制造和激光光谱学。这些活动将应用于开发完全集成的遗传设计光子晶体纳米结构，生长和表征具有改进非线性的材料，以及实现基于硅的片上单光子源。该项目的预期结果将为可扩展性和大规模集成的纳米光子平台制造硅量子光子学铺平道路。该职业奖由电气、通信和网络系统部（ECCS）的电子、光子学和磁性器件（EPMD）项目和材料研究部（DMR）的电子和光子材料（EPM）项目共同资助。

Title:Harnessing the quantum nature of light in photonic structures engineered on semiconductor chipsNontechnical abstract: The goal of this project is to study the behavior of light when it is confined for a long time in a very small volume of matter. Early work has shown that a novel generation of structures made on silicon may realize such a strong light confinement and as consequence generate so-called non-classical light. This is a type of light with properties inherently different from the light produced, for example, by the sun or by the lasers, and that can only be explained by quantum, i.e., non-classical, theory. Such structures are fully integrated on a chip to form photonic platforms at the nanoscale, i.e., as small as one-hundredth the diameter of a human air. Lying at the intersection of condensed matter physics, quantum photonics, materials science, and nanotechnology, this project draws upon expertise from broad areas of physics and engineering, while presenting major opportunities to advance fundamental research and transformative photonic devices. Photonics has been recognized as one of the key enabling technologies for future prosperity. This project investigates the physics and engineering of quantum-enhanced devices that may constitute the building blocks for futuristic photonic technologies that leverage the mature infrastructure of silicon-based devices. Advances in this field may enable computing and communication devices with superior performances and broad impact on energy, defense, and manufacturing. At the same time, the study of non-classical light has a vast impact in basic science. At the fundamental level, the quantum nature of light is intimately tied to modern science and plays a central role, for example, in the experimental foundation of physics and measurement theory.The interdisciplinary character of this research combined with its broad impact on technology and society provides an excellent educational opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students across different departments. The project incorporates a strong outreach program and enhances the complementarity and cooperation with national labs, NIST, and world-class transnational universities.Technical abstract : In this project I will study novel on-chip nanophotonic structures working at the single photon level and based on nonlinearities in silicon and III-V semiconductors quantum dots. Such devices harness quantum coherence for their core operation while exploiting photonic functionalities designed by a genetic evolution approach.The realization of this goal will involve numerical modeling, nanofabrication, and laser spectroscopy. Those activities will be applied to develop fully integrated genetically designed photonic crystal nanostructures, to growth and characterize materials with improved nonlinearity, and to implement on-chip single photon sources based on silicon. The expected results of this project will pave the way for silicon quantum photonics made with nanophotonic platforms amenable for scalability and large-scale integration.This CAREER award is jointly funded by the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) Program in the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) and the Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM) Program in the Division of Materials Research (DMR).