Efficient free-space read-out of WGM lasers using circular micromirrors

Lasing from whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonators occurs omnidirectional in azimuthal plane. Most applications of WGM resonators require spectral analysis with off-chip detectors, where in-plane emission and beam divergence hinder efficient detection. We demonstrate redirecting WGM laser emission from all azimuthal angles using a circular micromirror placed around the cavity. By collecting reflections off the micromirror via free-space optics, read-out intensity improved by one order of magnitude. Blocking vertically emitted spontaneous emission and recording reflections off the micromirror only, signal-to-noise ratio improved from 4.6 dB to 15 dB. Our read-out concept may be applied to arbitrary WGM cavity geometries without deteriorating the cavity`s quality factor

High-speed, low drive-voltage silicon-organic hybrid modulator based on a binary-chromophore electro-optic material

We report on the hybrid integration of silicon-on-insulator slot waveguides with organic electro-optic materials. We investigate and compare a polymer composite, a dendron-based material, and a binary-chromophore organic glass (BCOG). A record-high in-device electro-optic coefficient of 230 pm/V is found for the BCOG approach resulting in silicon-organic hybrid Mach-Zehnder modulators that feature low UpL-products of down to 0.52 Vmm and support data rates of up to 40 Gbit/

Silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) integration and photonic multi-chip systems: Technologies for high-speed optical interconnects

Limitations of silicon photonics can be overcome by hybrid integration of silicon photonic or plasmonic circuits with organic materials or by photonic multi-chip systems. We give an overview on our recent progress regarding both silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) integration and multi-chip integration enabled by photonic wire bonding

40 GBd 16QAM signaling at 160 Gb/s in a silicon-organic hybrid modulator

We demonstrate for the first time generation of 16-state quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) signals at a symbol rate of 40 GBd using silicon-based modulators. Our devices exploit silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) integration, which combines silicon-on-insulator slot waveguides with electro-optic cladding materials to realize highly efficient phase shifters. The devices enable 16QAM signaling and quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) at symbol rates of 40 GBd and 45 GBd, respectively, leading to line rates of up to 160 Gbit/s on a single wavelength and in a single polarization. This is the highest value demonstrated by a silicon-based device up to now. The energy consumption for 16QAM signaling amounts to less than 120 fJ/bit – one order of magnitude below that of conventional silicon photonic 16QAM modulators

Organic Photorefractive Materials and Applications

This review describes recent advances and applications in the field of organic photorefractive materials, an interesting area in the field of organic electronics and promising candidate for various aspects of photonic applications. We describe the current state of knowledge about the processes involved in the formation of photorefractive gratings in organic materials and focus on the chemical and photo-physical aspects of the material structures employed in low glass-transition temperature amorphous composites and organic photorefractive glasses. State-of-the art materials are highlighted and recent demonstrations of photonic applications relying on the reversible holographic nature of the photorefractive materials are discussed

Organic semiconductor distributed feedback laser pixels for lab-on-a-chip applications fabricated by laser-assisted replication

The integration of organic semiconductor distributed feedback (DFB) laser sources into all-polymer chips is promising for biomedical or chemical analysis. However{,} the fabrication of DFB corrugations is often expensive and time-consuming. Here{,} we apply the method of laser-assisted replication using a near-infrared diode laser beam to efficiently fabricate inexpensive poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chips with spatially localized organic DFB laser pixels. This time-saving fabrication process enables a pre-defined positioning of nanoscale corrugations on the chip and a simultaneous generation of nanoscale gratings for organic edge-emitting laser pixels next to microscale waveguide structures. A single chip of size 30 mm [times] 30 mm can be processed within 5 min. Laser-assisted replication allows for the subsequent addition of further nanostructures without a negative impact on the existing photonic components. The minimum replication area can be defined as being as small as the diode laser beam focus spot size. To complete the fabrication process{,} we encapsulate the chip in PMMA using laser transmission welding

Lasing in silicon-organic hybrid waveguides

Silicon photonics enables large-scale photonic–electronic integration by leveraging highly developed fabrication processes from the microelectronics industry. However, while a rich portfolio of devices has already been demonstrated on the silicon platform, on-chip light sources still remain a key challenge since the indirect bandgap of the material inhibits efficient photon emission and thus impedes lasing. Here we demonstrate a class of infrared lasers that can be fabricated on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) integration platform. The lasers are based on the silicon–organic hybrid (SOH) integration concept and combine nanophotonic SOI waveguides with dye-doped organic cladding materials that provide optical gain. We demonstrate pulsed room-temperature lasing with on-chip peak output powers of up to 1.1 W at a wavelength of 1,310 nm. The SOH approach enables efficient mass-production of silicon photonic light sources emitting in the near infrared and offers the possibility of tuning the emission wavelength over a wide range by proper choice of dye materials and resonator geometry.ISSN:2041-172