Characterization of silicon photonic devices in the short/medium wavelength infrared (2-5 microns)

在过去的十年中，硅光子学在大规模集成和低成本制造光子电路方面迅速兴起，为数据通信行业的需求提供了关键的解决方案。在这个项目中，我们建议利用这一进展来开发新一代传感器，用于无处不在的环境监测。硅光子学可以制造微型和节能的芯片级光谱仪和激光传感器，用于实时监测空气，水和环境风险，满足个人和公众在健康和安全方面日益增长的利益。对于这些应用，红外波段包含许多重要分子的特征，称为分子指纹。尽管如此，由于现有的中红外系统由离散的光学元件组成，并应用自由空间光学相互连接，因此中红外传感器网络的发展受到成本和能量消耗的阻碍。我们的团队在光通信的硅光子学研究方面有着良好的记录，我们最近启动了一项研究计划，为该技术的传感应用开辟了新的研究方向。我们已经获得了两笔运营经费来支持这项工作，并招募了一个由六名学生和博士后组成的团队来从事这些项目。我们正在申请一个研究工具和仪器补助金来建立一个硅光子学表征装置。作为第一步，我们的目标是短波和中波红外线，从1.8到5微米。这笔预算将用于购买几台激光器、一个光学放大器和一台成像相机。该设备对我们目前的研究至关重要，并将对我们当前和未来的伙伴关系和合作产生重大影响。它将补充已经获得6万美元预算的光谱分析仪、功率计和耦合级。

In the last decade, silicon photonics has quickly emerged for large-scale integration and low-cost manufacturing of photonic circuits, providing key solutions to the needs of the data communication industry. It this project we propose to leverage this progress to develop a new generation of sensors for ubiquitous environmental monitoring. Silicon photonics enables fabrication of miniature and power efficient chip-scale spectrometers and laser sensors for real-time monitoring of air, water, and environmental risks, meeting ever increasing individual and public interests in health and security. For these applications, infrared wavelength bands contain signatures of many important molecules, known as molecular fingerprints. Nonetheless, the path toward a mid-IR sensor network has been hindered by cost and energy consumption as existing mid-IR systems consist of discrete optical components interconnected applying free-space optics. Our team has a strong track record in silicon photonics research for optical communications and we have recently initiated a research program to open a new research axis on sensing applications of this technology. We have secured two operating grants to support this effort and have recruited a team of six students and post-doctoral fellow to work on the projects. We are requesting a research tool and instrumentation grant to build a silicon photonics characterization setup. As a first step, we are targeting the short and medium wavelength infrared, from 1.8 to 5 microns. The budget will be used to purchase several lasers, an optical amplifier, and an imaging camera. The equipment is essential to our current research and will have a great impact on our current and future partnerships and collaborations. It will complement the optical spectrum analyzer, power meter and coupling stages for which the $60k budget has already been obtained.