Static and dynamic ultrafast optical pulse shaping devices based on integrated waveguide technologies

这个为期三年的战略项目涉及开发一系列用于超快全光信号处理应用的新型集成波导器件。提出的理论和实验研究将允许来自多伦多大学和INRS-EMT的大学团队与其工业伙伴合作，领导加拿大和国际努力寻找低成本，高性能，完全定制的光脉冲源。我们的研究方向是使用集成波导平台产生具有任意定制形状的超快光脉冲序列，这是一个对当前和未来几个应用至关重要的问题。特别是，我们计划开发一系列新颖和简单的集成波导设计，以克服传统自由空间方法的局限性（有限的集成能力）。在我们的项目中要研究的脉冲整形器设计包括：(A)使用新技术方法实现的集成波导布拉格光栅，该方法为任意定制光栅轮廓提供了前所未有的控制程度；(B)串联双臂干涉仪，基于（B.1）集成波导平台，通过热可调延迟线实现可编程脉冲重整形操作，以及（B.2）极其紧凑和高效的光子晶体波导几何结构。短期的研究工作将针对所提出的集成脉冲整形装置的建模、仿真和设计，然后对所开发的装置进行制造和实验测试和分析。目标设计将在半导体（III-V）集成技术中实现，从而为开发的脉冲整形器与半导体激光二极管的单片集成奠定基础。由此产生的紧凑光源可能在几个学科中产生巨大影响，如电信工程、光学计算和生物医学成像。从这个项目中产生的新知识以及与这项工作的不同阶段有关的高素质人员的培训将有助于提高加拿大在高技术部门的全球竞争力。

This three year strategic project is concerned with the development of a series of new integrated waveguide devices for ultrafast all-optical signal processing applications. The proposed theoretical and experimental research will allow university teams from University of Toronto and INRS-EMT, in collaboration with their industrial partner, to lead Canadian and international efforts in searching for low-cost, high-performance, fully customized optical pulsed sources. Our studies are directed toward the generation of train of ultrafast optical pulses WITH ARBITRARILY CUSTOMIZED SHAPES, a problem of fundamental importance to several present and future applications, using integrated waveguide platforms. In particular, we plan to develop a series of novel and simple integrated waveguide designs that will overcoming the limitations of the classical free-space-based approach (limited integrated capabilities). Pulse shapers' designs to be investigated in our Project include: (A) Integrated waveguide Bragg gratings implemented using a new technological approach that offers an unprecedented degree of control for arbitrarily customizing the grating profiles; (B) Concatenated two-arm interferometers, based on (B.1) an integrated waveguide platform enabling programmable pulse re-shaping operations via thermally-tunable delay lines, and (B.2) an extremely compact and efficient photonic crystal waveguides geometry. Short-term research effort will be directed to the modeling, simulation and design of the proposed integrated pulse shaping devices, followed by fabrication and experimental testing and analysis of the developed devices. The targeted designs will be implemented in semiconductor (III-V) integrated technologies, thus preparing the ground for the monolithic integration of the developed pulse shapers with semiconductor laser diodes. The resulting, compact sources could have a dramatic impact in several disciplines, such as telecommunication engineering, optical computing and biomedical imaging. The new knowledge generated from this project and the training of highly qualified personnel associated to the different stages of this work will contribute to enhance Canada's global competitiveness in high-technology sectors.