RINCE Research Seminar - 13th February 2008 - 2:30pm - S209

Convential and Tunable Photonic Structures based on Silicon for Micro-Photonics and Optical Interconnects

Dr. Tatiana Perova, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

Abstract

This presentation is mainly focussed on the design, fabrication and characterisation of the conventional and tunable photonic devices based on grooved silicon, serving as one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal. Depending on the lattice parameter, the structures possess not only a main photonic band gap in the region of 10-30 um, but also a number of secondary band gaps extended to the near infrared range of spectra.  The possibility of PBG extension by introducing a silicon wall thickness disorder into the photonic structure have been shown theoretically and experimentally.  The advantages of these photonic structures are as follows: the large refractive index contrast, in-plane moulding of the light flow, the possibility to fabricate a composite photonic structures by filling the grooves with a different compounds and compatibility with current semiconductor processing techniques. The optical properties of grooved Si structures were simulated using a transfer matrix method and band diagram method and have been verified experimentally using FTIR spectrometer in conjunction with IR microscope.  The air spaces in the basic silicon-air matrices as well as in micro-cavity were then infiltrated with nematic liquid crystal E7.  It is shown that the optical properties of the obtained composite 1D photonic crystals can be tuned by means of electro- and thermo-optical effects.  Such a structures suit well for the various elements of the integrated optics, micro-photonics and can serve as a building blocks for optical interconnects.  

Selected relevant publications:

  1. V.A. Tolmachev, T.S. Perova, S.A. Grudinkin, V.A. Melnikov, E.V. Astrova, Yu.A. Zharova, Electro-tunable in-plane one-dimensional photonic structure based on silicon and liquid crystal, Appl.Phys.Lett., 90, 011908-10 (2007).
  2. E.V. Astrova, T.S. Perova, Ju.A. Zharova, S.A. Grudinkin, V.A. Tolmachev, and V.A. Melnikov, Electro-tunable one-dimensional photonic crystal structures based on grooved silicon infiltrated with liquid crystal, J.Lumines., 121, 298-300 (2006).
  3. V.A. Tolmachev, T.S. Perova, and K. Berwick, Design of 1D composite photonic crystals with an extended photonic band gap, J. Appl. Phys., 99, 033507/1 – 033507/5 (2006).
  4. A.V. Tolmachev, T.S. Perova, E.V. Astrova, J.A. Pilyugina,  R.A. Moore,  Experimental verification of photonic band gap extension for disordered 1D photonic crystal based on Si, Optics Communications, 259, 104-106 (2006).
  5. V.A. Tolmachev, T.S. Perova, and R.A. Moore, Method of Construction of Composite One-Dimensional Photonic Crystal with Extended Photonic Band Gaps, Optics Express, 13, 8433 (2005).
Comments (0)