79 research outputs found
La fisica della materia: alcune sfide e prospettive dei prossimi anni
In questo contributo descrivo alcune prospettive per la fisica della materia nei prossimi anni che riguardano in particolare tre aree di ricerca: analogie fra sistemi elettronici e fotonici, eccitazioni elementari di natura ibrida, la seconda rivoluzione quantistica
La fisica della materia: alcune sfide e prospettive dei prossimi anni
In questo contributo descrivo alcune prospettive per la fisica della materia nei prossimi anni che riguardano in particolare tre aree di ricerca: analogie fra sistemi elettronici e fotonici, eccitazioni elementari di natura ibrida, la seconda rivoluzione quantistica
Optimizing an interleaved p-n junction to reduce energy dissipation in silicon slow-light modulators
Reducing power dissipation in electro-optic modulators is a key step for widespread application of silicon photonics to optical communication. In this work, we design Mach–Zehnder modulators in the silicon-on-insulator platform, which make use of slow light in a waveguide grating and of a reverse-biased p-n junction with interleaved contacts along the waveguide axis. After optimizing the junction parameters, we discuss the full simulation of the modulator in order to find a proper trade-off among various figures of merit such as modulation efficiency, insertion loss, cutoff frequency, optical modulation amplitude, and dissipated energy per bit. Comparison with conventional structures (with lateral p-n junction and/or in rib waveguides without slow light) highlights the importance of combining slow light with the interleaved p-n junction, thanks to the increased overlap between the travelling optical wave and the depletion regions. As a surprising result, the modulator performance is improved over an optical bandwidth that is much wider than the slow-light bandwidth
Slow light with interleaved p-n junction to enhance performance of integrated Mach-Zehnder silicon modulators
AbstractSlow light is a very important concept in nanophotonics, especially in the context of photonic crystals. In this work, we apply our previous design of band-edge slow light in silicon waveguide gratings [M. Passoni et al, Opt. Express 26, 8470 (2018)] to Mach-Zehnder modulators based on the plasma dispersion effect. The key idea is to employ an interleaved p-n junction with the same periodicity as the grating, in order to achieve optimal matching between the electromagnetic field profile and the depletion regions of the p-n junction. The resulting modulation efficiency is strongly improved as compared to common modulators based on normal rib waveguides, even in a bandwidth of 20–30 nm near the band edge, while the total insertion loss due to free carriers is not increased. The present concept is promising in view of realizing slow-light modulators for silicon photonics with reduced energy dissipation
Slow light with interleaved p-n junction to enhance performance of integrated Mach-Zehnder silicon modulators
Slow light is a very important concept in nanophotonics, especially in the context of photonic crystals. In this work, we apply our previous design of band-edge slow light in silicon waveguide gratings [M. Passoni et al, Opt. Express 26, 8470 (2018)] to Mach-Zehnder modulators based on the plasma dispersion effect. The key idea is to employ an interleaved p-n junction with the same periodicity as the grating, in order to achieve optimal matching between the electromagnetic field profile and the depletion regions of the p-n junction. The resulting modulation efficiency is strongly improved as compared to common modulators based on normal rib waveguides, even in a bandwidth of 20–30 nm near the band edge, while the total insertion loss due to free carriers is not increased. The present concept is promising in view of realizing slow-light modulators for silicon photonics with reduced energy dissipation
Photon correlations in a two-site non-linear cavity system under coherent drive and dissipation
We calculate the normalized second-order correlation function for a system of
two tunnel-coupled photonic resonators, each one exhibiting a single-photon
nonlinearity of the Kerr type. We employ a full quantum formulation: the master
equation for the model, which takes into account both a coherent continuous
drive and radiative as well as non-radiative dissipation channels, is solved
analytically in steady state through a perturbative approach, and the results
are compared to exact numerical simulations. The degree of second-order
coherence displays values between 0 and 1, and divides the diagram identified
by the two energy scales of the system - the tunneling and the nonlinear Kerr
interaction - into two distinct regions separated by a crossover. When the
tunneling term dominates over the nonlinear one, the system state is
delocalized over both cavities and the emitted light is coherent. In the
opposite limit, photon blockade sets in and the system shows an insulator-like
state with photons locked on each cavity, identified by antibunching of emitted
light.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Silicon solar cells: toward the efficiency limits
Photovoltaic (PV) conversion of solar energy starts to give an appreciable contribution to power generation in many countries, with more than 90% of the global PV market relying on solar cells based on crystalline silicon (c-Si). The current efficiency record of c-Si solar cells is 26.7%, against an intrinsic limit of ~29%. Current research and production trends aim at increasing the efficiency, and reducing the cost, of industrial modules. In this paper, we review the main concepts and theoretical approaches that allow calculating the efficiency limits of c-Si solar cells as a function of silicon thickness. For a given material quality, the optimal thickness is determined by a trade-off between the competing needs of high optical absorption (requiring a thicker absorbing layer) and of efficient carrier collection (best achieved by a thin silicon layer). The efficiency limits can be calculated by solving the transport equations in the assumption of optimal (Lambertian) light trapping, which can be achieved by inserting proper photonic structures in the solar cell architecture. The effects of extrinsic (bulk and surface) recombinations on the conversion efficiency are discussed. We also show how the main conclusions and trends can be described using relatively simple analytic models. Prospects for overcoming the 29% limit by means of silicon/perovskite tandems are briefly discussed
Optimizing band-edge slow light in silicon-on-insulator waveguide gratings
Funding: European Union Horizon H2020 Programme (H2020-ICT27-2015, COSMICC no. 688516).A systematic analysis of photonic bands and group index in silicon grating waveguides is performed, in order to optimize band-edge slow-light behavior in integrated structures with low losses. A combination of numerical methods and perturbation theory is adopted. It is shown that a substantial increase of slow light bandwidth is achieved when decreasing the internal width of the waveguide and the silicon thickness in the cladding region. It is also observed that a reduction of the internal width does not undermine the performance of an adiabatic taper.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Josephson surface plasmons in spatially confined cuprate superconductors
In this work, we generalize the theory of localized surface plasmons to the
case of high-Tc cuprate superconductors, spatially confined in the form of
small spherical particles. At variance from ordinary metals, cuprate
superconductors are characterized by a low-energy bulk excitation known as the
Josephson plasma wave (JPW), arising from interlayer tunneling of the
condensate along the c-axis. The effect of the JPW is revealed in a
characteristic spectrum of surface excitations, which we call Josephson surface
plasmons. Our results, which apply to any material with a strongly anisotropic
electromagnetic response, are worked out in detail for the case of multilayered
superconductors supporting both low-frequency (acoustic) and transverse-optical
JPW. Spatial confinement of the Josephson plasma waves may represent a new
degree of freedom to engineer their frequencies and to explore the link between
interlayer tunnelling and high-Tc superconductivity
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