Photonic neuromorphic information processing and reservoir computing

Photonic neuromorphic computing is attracting tremendous research interest now, catalyzed in no small part by the rise of deep learning in many applications. In this paper, we will review some of the exciting work that has been going in this area and then focus on one particular technology, namely, photonic reservoir computing

Integration And Simulation Of Microfluidic Platforms And Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy Systems

This work serves as a design tool for the development of integrated terahertz time-domain spectroscopy systems with microfluidic platforms. The emission of terahertz radiation from a GaAs THz antenna is simulated. This simulation involves a semi-classical computational model with white noise effects used to control the dynamic range of the system. The maximum measurable frequency for the overall integrated system is strongly influenced by the sample thickness of the microfluidic platform and the dynamic range of the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system

Modern Applications in Optics and Photonics: From Sensing and Analytics to Communication

Optics and photonics are among the key technologies of the 21st century, and offer potential for novel applications in areas such as sensing and spectroscopy, analytics, monitoring, biomedical imaging/diagnostics, and optical communication technology. The high degree of control over light fields, together with the capabilities of modern processing and integration technology, enables new optical measurement systems with enhanced functionality and sensitivity. They are attractive for a range of applications that were previously inaccessible. This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of some of the most advanced application areas in optics and photonics and indicate the broad potential for the future

Fiber Optics

Optical fibers in metrology, telecommunications, sensors, manufacturing, and health science have gained massive research interest. The number of applications is increasing at a fast pace. This book aims to present a collection of recent advances in fiber optics, addressing both fundamental and industrial applications. It covers the current progress and latest breakthroughs in emergent applications of fiber optics. The book includes five chapters on recent developments in optical fiber communications and fiber sensors, as well as the design, simulation, and fabrication of novel fiber concepts

Programmable photonics : an opportunity for an accessible large-volume PIC ecosystem

We look at the opportunities presented by the new concepts of generic programmable photonic integrated circuits (PIC) to deploy photonics on a larger scale. Programmable PICs consist of waveguide meshes of tunable couplers and phase shifters that can be reconfigured in software to define diverse functions and arbitrary connectivity between the input and output ports. Off-the-shelf programmable PICs can dramatically shorten the development time and deployment costs of new photonic products, as they bypass the design-fabrication cycle of a custom PIC. These chips, which actually consist of an entire technology stack of photonics, electronics packaging and software, can potentially be manufactured cheaper and in larger volumes than application-specific PICs. We look into the technology requirements of these generic programmable PICs and discuss the economy of scale. Finally, we make a qualitative analysis of the possible application spaces where generic programmable PICs can play an enabling role, especially to companies who do not have an in-depth background in PIC technology

Trends of biosensing: plasmonics through miniaturization and quantum sensing

Despite being extremely old concepts, plasmonics and surface plasmon resonance-based biosensors have been increasingly popular in the recent two decades due to the growing interest in nanooptics and are now of relevant significance in regards to applications associated with human health. Plasmonics integration into point-of-care devices for health surveillance has enabled significant levels of sensitivity and limit of detection to be achieved and has encouraged the expansion of the fields of study and market niches devoted to the creation of quick and incredibly sensitive label-free detection. The trend reflects in wearable plasmonic sensor development as well as point-of-care applications for widespread applications, demonstrating the potential impact of the new generation of plasmonic biosensors on human well-being through the concepts of personalized medicine and global health. In this context, the aim here is to discuss the potential, limitations, and opportunities for improvement that have arisen as a result of the integration of plasmonics into microsystems and lab-on-chip over the past five years. Recent applications of plasmonic biosensors in microsystems and sensor performance are analyzed. The final analysis focuses on the integration of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip with quantum plasmonics technology prospecting it as a promising solution for chemical and biological sensing. Here it is underlined how the research in the field of quantum plasmonic sensing for biological applications has flourished over the past decade with the aim to overcome the limits given by quantum fluctuations and noise. The significant advances in nanophotonics, plasmonics and microsystems used to create increasingly effective biosensors would continue to benefit this field if harnessed properly

Silicon-Based Integrated Label-Free Optofluidic Biosensors: Latest Advances and Roadmap

By virtue of the well-developed micro- and nanofabrication technologies and rapidly progressing surface functionalization strategies, silicon-based devices have been widely recognized as a highly promising platform for the next-generation lab-on-a-chip bioanalytical systems with a great potential for point-of-care medical diagnostics. Herein, an overview of the latest advances in silicon-based integrated optofluidic label-free biosensing technologies relying on the efficient interactions between the evanescent light field at the functionalized surface and specifically bound analytes is presented. State-of-the-art technologies demonstrating label-free evanescent wave-based biomarker detection mainly encompass three device configurations, including on-chip waveguide-based interferometers, microring resonators, and photonic-crystal-based cavities. Moreover, up-to-date strategies for elevating the sensitivities and also simplifying the sensing processes are discussed. Emerging laboratory prototypes with advanced integration and packaging schemes incorporating automatic microfluidic components or on-chip optoelectronic devices lead to one significant step forward in real applications of decentralized diagnostics. Besides, particular attention is paid to currently commercialized label-free optical bioanalytical models on the market. Finally, the prospects are elaborated with several research routes toward chip-scale, low-cost, highly sensitive, multi-functional, and user-friendly bioanalytical systems benefiting to global healthcare. © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinhei

The 2019 surface acoustic waves roadmap

Today, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and bulk acoustic waves are already two of the very few phononic technologies of industrial relevance and can been found in a myriad of devices employing these nanoscale earthquakes on a chip. Acoustic radio frequency filters, for instance, are integral parts of wireless devices. SAWs in particular find applications in life sciences and microfluidics for sensing and mixing of tiny amounts of liquids. In addition to this continuously growing number of applications, SAWs are ideally suited to probe and control elementary excitations in condensed matter at the limit of single quantum excitations. Even collective excitations, classical or quantum are nowadays coherently interfaced by SAWs. This wide, highly diverse, interdisciplinary and continuously expanding spectrum literally unites advanced sensing and manipulation applications. Remarkably, SAW technology is inherently multiscale and spans from single atomic or nanoscopic units up even to the millimeter scale. The aim of this Roadmap is to present a snapshot of the present state of surface acoustic wave science and technology in 2019 and provide an opinion on the challenges and opportunities that the future holds from a group of renown experts, covering the interdisciplinary key areas, ranging from fundamental quantum effects to practical applications of acoustic devices in life science