A full degree-of-freedom photonic crystal spatial light modulator

Harnessing the full complexity of optical fields requires complete control of all degrees-of-freedom within a region of space and time -- an open goal for present-day spatial light modulators (SLMs), active metasurfaces, and optical phased arrays. Here, we solve this challenge with a programmable photonic crystal cavity array enabled by four key advances: (i) near-unity vertical coupling to high-finesse microcavities through inverse design, (ii) scalable fabrication by optimized, 300 mm full-wafer processing, (iii) picometer-precision resonance alignment using automated, closed-loop "holographic trimming", and (iv) out-of-plane cavity control via a high-speed micro-LED array. Combining each, we demonstrate near-complete spatiotemporal control of a 64-resonator, two-dimensional SLM with nanosecond- and femtojoule-order switching. Simultaneously operating wavelength-scale modes near the space- and time-bandwidth limits, this work opens a new regime of programmability at the fundamental limits of multimode optical control.Comment: 25 pages, 20 figure

A full degree-of-freedom spatiotemporal light modulator

Harnessing the full complexity of optical fields requires complete control of all degrees-of-freedom within a region of space and time — an open goal for present-day spatial light modulators (SLMs), active metasurfaces, and optical phased arrays. Here, we solve this challenge with a programmable photonic crystal cavity array enabled by four key advances: (i) near-unity vertical coupling to high-finesse microcavities through inverse design, (ii) scalable fabrication by optimized, 300 mm full-wafer processing, (iii) picometer-precision resonance alignment using automated, closed-loop “holographic trimming”, and (iv) out-of-plane cavity control via a high-speed µLED array. Combining each, we demonstrate near-complete spatiotemporal control of a 64-resonator, two-dimensional SLM with nanosecond- and femtojoule-order switching. Simultaneously operating wavelength-scale modes near the space- and time-bandwidth limits, this work opens a new regime of programmability at the fundamental limits of multimode optical control

Resonant Spatial Light Modulation: Optical Programming and Sensing at the Fundamental Limit

Fast, energy-efficient, and compact manipulation of multimode optical signals is required for technologies ranging from brain imaging to quantum control, yet remains an open goal for present-day spatial light modulators (SLMs), active metasurfaces, and optical phased arrays. Here, we develop wavelength-scale, high-finesse photonic crystal cavity arrays as a solution to this problem. Specifically, we demonstrate nanosecond- and femtojoule-order spatial light modulation enabled by four key advances: (i) near-unity vertical coupling to high-finesse microcavities through inverse design, (ii) scalable fabrication of photonic crystal circuits by optimized, 300 mm full-wafer processing, (iii) picometer-precision resonance alignment using automated, closed-loop “holographic trimming”, and (iv) out-of-plane cavity control via a high-speed µLED display. Combining each, our approach weds the latest advances in incoherent and coherent optics to open a previously inaccessible regime of programmability: near-complete spatiotemporal control with a >MHz modulation bandwidth per diffraction-limited mode. Simultaneously operating wavelength-scale modes near the space- and time-bandwidth limits, this work approaches the fundamental limits of multimode optical control. In developing this technology, we also analyze the fundamental limits of light-matter interaction in these remarkable optical microcavities that continue to drive modern science. Operated in reverse, our device constitutes a high-spatial-resolution focal plane array. Surprisingly, we discover that the fundamental limits of these sensors are ultimately dictated by refractive index variations induced by statistical temperature fluctuations. We present the first theoretical and experimental characterization of the associated thermal noise limits in wavelength-scale microcavities, develop a new class of optical sensors operating at this fundamental limit, and analyze noise cancellation techniques to enable continued development in quantum optical measurement, precision sensing, and low-noise integrated photonics.Ph.D

LNoS: Lithium Niobate on Silicon Spatial Light Modulator

Programmable spatiotemporal control of light is crucial for advancements in optical communications, imaging, and quantum technologies. Commercial spatial light modulators (SLMs) typically have megapixel-scale apertures but are limited to ~kHz operational speeds. Developing a device that controls a similar number of spatial modes at high speeds could potentially transform fields such as imaging through scattering media, quantum computing with cold atoms and ions, and high-speed machine vision, but to date remains an open challenge. In this work we introduce and demonstrate a free-form, resonant electro-optic (EO) modulator with megapixel apertures using CMOS integration. The optical layer features a Lithium Niobate (LN) thin-film integrated with a photonic crystal (PhC), yielding a guided mode resonance (GMR) with a Q-factor>1000, a field overlap coefficient ~90% and a 1.6 GHz 3-dB modulation bandwidth (detector limited). To realize a free-form and scalable SLM, we fabricate the PhC via interference lithography and develop a procedure to bond the device to a megapixel CMOS backplane. We identify limitations in existing EO materials and CMOS backplanes that must be overcome to simultaneously achieve megapixel-scale, GHz-rate operation. The `LN on Silicon' (LNoS) architecture we present is a blueprint towards realizing such devices

Cavity-enhanced emission from an ensemble of color centers in silicon

Optical quantum technologies require strong light-matter interaction. We couple silicon color center ensembles to high-Q/V cavities and show enhanced emission in the telecommunications O-band.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.QID/Hanson La