Compact silicon photonic waveguide modulator based on the vanadium dioxide metal-insulator phase transition

We have integrated lithographically patterned VO2 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition with silicon-on-insulator photonic waveguides to demonstrate a compact in-line absorption modulator for use in photonic circuits. Using single-mode waveguides at λ = 1550 nm, we show optical modulation of the guided transverse-electric mode of more than 6.5 dB with 2 dB insertion loss over a 2-µm active device length. Loss is determined for devices fabricated on waveguide ring resonators by measuring the resonator spectral response, and a sharp decrease in resonator quality factor is observed above 70 °C, consistent with switching of VO_2 to its metallic phase. A computational study of device geometry is also presented, and we show that it is possible to more than double the modulation depth with modified device structures

Wafer-bonded single-crystal silicon slot waveguides and ring resonators

We fabricated horizontal Si slot waveguides with a 25 nm SiO2 slot layer by bonding thin Si-on-insulator wafers. After removing the Si substrate and buried oxide from one side of the bonded structure, grating-coupled waveguides and ring resonators were partially etched into the Si/SiO2/Si device layers. The gratings exhibit efficiencies of up to 23% at 1550 nm and the ring resonators were measured to have loaded quality factors near 42 000 for the lowest-order transverse-electric mode, corresponding to a propagation loss of 15 dB/cm. The leaky lowest-order transverse-magnetic mode was also observed with a propagation loss of 44 dB/cm

Highly Strained Compliant Optical Metamaterials with Large Frequency Tunability

Metamaterial designs are typically limited to operation over a narrow bandwidth dictated by the resonant line width. Here we report a compliant metamaterial with tunability of Δλ ~ 400 nm, greater than the resonant line width at optical frequencies, using high-strain mechanical deformation of an elastomeric substrate to controllably modify the distance between the resonant elements. Using this compliant platform, we demonstrate dynamic surface-enhanced infrared absorption by tuning the metamaterial resonant frequency through a CH stretch vibrational mode, enhancing the reflection signal by a factor of 180. Manipulation of resonator components is also used to tune and modulate the Fano resonance of a coupled system

Efficient Coupling between Dielectric-Loaded Plasmonic and Silicon Photonic Waveguides

The realization of practical on-chip plasmonic devices will require efficient coupling of light into and out of surface plasmon waveguides over short length scales. In this letter, we report on low insertion loss for polymer-on-gold dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguides end-coupled to silicon-on-insulator waveguides with a coupling efficiency of 79 ± 2% per transition at telecommunication wavelengths. Propagation loss is determined independently of insertion loss by measuring the transmission through plasmonic waveguides of varying length, and we find a characteristic surface-plasmon propagation length of 51 ± 4 μm at a free-space wavelength of λ = 1550 nm. We also demonstrate efficient coupling to whispering-gallery modes in plasmonic ring resonators with an average bending-loss-limited quality factor of 180 ± 8

Modifying the radiative quantum efficiency of erbium-doped glass in silicon slot waveguides

We have modulated the radiative emission rate of Er In SI slot waveguides with Er-doped glass slots by varying the waveguide layer dimensions. The corresponding quantum efficiency of 1537-nm emission varies between 0.37 and 0.51

Spring 2014 Internship Diffuser Data Analysis

J-2X engine testing on the A-2 test stand at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) has recently concluded. As part of that test campaign, the engine was operated at lower power levels in support of expanding the use of J-2X to other missions. However, the A-2 diffuser was not designed for engine testing at the proposed low power levels. To evaluate the risk of damage to the diffuser, computer simulations were created of the rocket engine exhaust plume inside the 50ft long, water-cooled, altitude-simulating diffuser. The simulations predicted that low power level testing would cause the plume to oscillate in the lower sections of the diffuser. This can possibly cause excessive vibrations, stress, and heat transfer from the plume to the diffuser walls. To understand and assess the performance of the diffuser during low power level engine testing, nine accelerometers and four strain gages were installed around the outer surface of the diffuser. The added instrumentation also allowed for the verification of the rocket exhaust plume computational model. Prior to engine hot-fire testing, a diffuser water-flow test was conducted to verify the proper operation of the newly installed instrumentation. Subsequently, two J-2X engine hot-fire tests were completed. Hot-Fire Test 1 was 11.5 seconds in duration, and accelerometer and strain data verified that the rocket engine plume oscillated in the lower sections of the diffuser. The accelerometers showed very different results dependent upon location. The diffuser consists of four sections, with Section 1 being closest to the engine nozzle and Section 4 being farthest from the engine nozzle. Section 1 accelerometers showed increased amplitudes at startup and shutdown, but low amplitudes while the diffuser was started. Section 3 accelerometers showed the opposite results with near zero G amplitudes prior to and after diffuser start and peak amplitudes to +/- 100G while the diffuser was started. Hot-Fire Test 1 strain gages showed different data dependent on section. Section 1 strains were small, and were in the range of 50 to 150 microstrain, which would result in stresses from 1.45 to 4.35 ksi. The yield stress of the material, A-285 Grade C Steel, is 29.7 ksi. Section 4 strain gages showed much higher values with strains peaking at 1600 microstrain. This strain corresponds to a stress of 46.41 ksi, which is in excess of the yield stress, but below the ultimate stress of 55 to 75 ksi. The decreased accelerations and strain in Section 1, and the increased accelerations and strain in Sections 3 and 4 verified the computer simulation prediction of increased plume oscillations in the lower sections of the diffuser. Hot-Fire Test 2 ran for a duration of 125 seconds. The engine operated at a slightly higher power level than Hot-Fire Test 1 for the initial 35 seconds of the test. After 35 seconds the power level was lowered to Hot-Fire Test 1 levels. The acceleration and strain data for Hot-Fire Test 2 was similar during the initial part of the test. However, just prior to the engine being lowered to the Hot-Fire Test 1 power level, the strain gage data in Section 4 showed a large decrease to strains near zero microstrain from their peak at 1500 microstrain. Future work includes further strain and acceleration data analysis and evaluation

Si microwire-array solar cells

Si microwire-array solar cells with Air Mass 1.5 Global conversion efficiencies of up to 7.9% have been fabricated using an active volume of Si equivalent to a 4 μm thick Si wafer. These solar cells exhibited open-circuit voltages of 500 mV, short-circuit current densities (J_(sc)) of up to 24 mA cm^(-2), and fill factors >65% and employed Al_2O_3 dielectric particles that scattered light incident in the space between the wires, a Ag back reflector that prevented the escape of incident illumination from the back surface of the solar cell, and an a-SiN_x:H passivation/anti-reflection layer. Wire-array solar cells without some or all of these design features were also fabricated to demonstrate the importance of the light-trapping elements in achieving a high J_(sc). Scanning photocurrent microscopy images of the microwire-array solar cells revealed that the higher J_(sc) of the most advanced cell design resulted from an increased absorption of light incident in the space between the wires. Spectral response measurements further revealed that solar cells with light-trapping elements exhibited improved red and infrared response, as compared to solar cells without light-trapping elements

High-performance Si microwire photovoltaics

Crystalline Si wires, grown by the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) process, have emerged as promising candidate materials for lowcost, thin-film photovoltaics. Here, we demonstrate VLS-grown Si microwires that have suitable electrical properties for high-performance photovoltaic applications, including long minority-carrier diffusion lengths (L_n » 30 µm) and low surface recombination velocities (S « 70 cm·s^(-1)). Single-wire radial p–n junction solar cells were fabricated with amorphous silicon and silicon nitride surface coatings, achieving up to 9.0% apparent photovoltaic efficiency, and exhibiting up to ~600 mV open-circuit voltage with over 80% fill factor. Projective single-wire measurements and optoelectronic simulations suggest that large-area Si wire-array solar cells have the potential to exceed 17% energy-conversion efficiency, offering a promising route toward cost-effective crystalline Si photovoltaics