Integrated collinear refractive index sensor with Ge PIN photodiodes

Refractive index sensing is a highly sensitive and label-free detection method for molecular binding events. Commercial implementations of biosensing concepts based on plasmon resonances typically require significant external instrumentation such as microscopes and spectrometers. Few concepts exist that are based on direct integration of plasmonic nanostructures with optoelectronic devices for on-chip integration. Here, we present a CMOS-compatible refractive index sensor consisting of a Ge heterostructure PIN diode in combination with a plasmonic nanohole array structured directly into the diode Al contact metallization. In our devices, the photocurrent can be used to detect surface refractive index changes under simple top illumination and without the aid of signal amplification circuitry. Our devices exhibit large sensitivities > 1000 nm per refractive index unit in bulk refractive index sensing and could serve as prototypes to leverage the cost-effectiveness of the CMOS platform for ultra-compact, low-cost biosensors.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, supporting information with 11 pages and 11 figures attache

Thermally stable amorphous tantalum yttrium oxide with low IR absorption for magnetophotonic devices

Thin film oxide materials often require thermal treatment at high temperature during their preparation, which can limit them from being integrated in a range of microelectronic or optical devices and applications. For instance, it has been a challenge to retain the optical properties of Bragg mirrors in optical systems at temperatures above 700 °C because of changes in the crystalline structure of the high-refractive-index component. In this study, a ~100 nm-thick amorphous film of tantalum oxide and yttrium oxide with an yttrium-to-tantalum atomic fraction of 14% was prepared by magnetron sputtering. The film demonstrated high resistance to annealing above 850 °C without degradation of its optical properties. The electronic and crystalline structures, stoichiometry, optical properties, and integration with magnetooptical materials are discussed. The film was incorporated into Bragg mirrors used with iron garnet microcavities, and it contributed to an order-of-magnitude enhancement of the magnetooptical figure of merit at near-infrared wavelengths.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award ECCS-1607865

Properties of Magnetic Garnet Films for Flexible Magneto-Optical Indicators Fabricated by Spin-Coating Method

Non-destructive testing using a magneto-optical effect is a high-resolution non-destructive inspection technique for a metallic structure. It is able to provide high-spatial resolution images of defects. Previously, it has been difficult to fabricate flexible magneto-optical sensors because thermal treatment is necessary to crystallize the magnetic garnet. Therefore, it was not possible to apply magneto-optical imaging to complicated shapes in a test subject, such as a curved surface. In this study, we developed a new process for deposition of the magnetic garnet on the flexible substrate by applying the magnetic garnet powders that have already undergone crystallization. In this new process, as it does not require thermal treatment after deposition, flexible substrates with low heat resistance can be used. In this paper, we report our observations of the optical properties, magnetic hysteresis loop, crystallizability and density of the particles on the flexible substrate deposited by the spin-coating method

One-Dimensional Magnonic Crystal With Cu Stripes for Forward Volume Spin Waves

A one-dimensional magnonic crystal for forward volume spin waves (FV SWs) is demonstrated using eight pairs of Cu stripes fabricated on a 1-mm wide × 14-mm long × 10.2-µm thick yttrium iron garnet (YIG) waveguide and a SW absorber of 30-nm-thick Au film. The development of this crystal is challenging due to strong spectral oscillations caused by edge reflections and process difficulties associated with YIG magnonic crystals. A magnonic band gap with a depth of −4.6 dB is observed at a frequency of 1.80 GHz for a FV SW excited by a 50-µm-wide microstrip line, which is in good agreement with simulation results using three-dimensional modeling in the radio frequency region. The obtained performance is illustrated by plotting the depth of the respective band gaps vs the pair number of the stripes. This value is compared with that obtained in previous studies

Development of Heat Dissipation Multilayer Media for Volumetric Magnetic Hologram Memory

Holographic memory is a strong candidate for next-generation optical storage, featuring high recording densities and data transfer rates, and magnetic hologram memory using a magnetic garnet, as the recording material is expected to be used as a rewritable and stable storage technology. However, the diffraction efficiency of magnetic holography depending on the Faraday rotation angle is insufficiently high for actual storage devices. To increase the diffraction efficiency, it is important to record deep magnetic fringes, whereas it is necessary to suppress the merging of fringes owing to heat diffusion near the medium surface. In this work, we investigated the recording process of magnetic holograms in detail with experiments and numerical simulations, and developed a multilayer media with transparent heat dissipation layers to record deep and clear magnetic holograms by controlling the heat diffusion generated during the thermomagnetic recording process. To suppress lateral heat diffusion near the medium surface, we designed and fabricated a multilayer magnetic medium in which the recording magnetic layers are discrete in a film, approximately 12-µm thick. This medium exhibited diffraction efficiency higher than that of the single-layer medium, and error-free recording and reconstruction were achieved using the magnetic assist technique