Sandia Corporation

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Paul Davids

David W Peters

Christopher Todd DeRose

Anthony L Lentine

Peter Thomas Rakich

Jin K Kim

Thomas Edwin Beechem, Iii

Ryan Camacho

Rohan Deodatta Kekatpure

Stephen Wayne Howell

Michael Goldflam

Michael Robert Watts

Murat Okandan

Gregory Nolan Nielson

William C Sweatt

Zheng Wang

Roy H Olsson

Paul J Resnick

Paul Gilbert Clem

David Bruce Burckel

Eric A Shaner

Anna Tauke-Pedretti

Michael Gehl

John F Klem

Ihab Fathy El-Kady

Dale L Huber

Robert L Jarecki, Jr

Bruce L Draper

Douglas Chandler Trotter

Darin Leonhardt

Daniel B S Soh

Jeffrey S Nelson

Charles M Reinke

Troy Daniel Ribaudo

Sean J Hearne

Evan Michael Anderson

Christopher Alan Apblett

Mohan Sarovar

Isaac Ruiz

Joel R Wendt

Andrew Lea Starbuck

Christopher Michael Long

Mehmet Fatih Su

Hong Cai

Andrew T S Pomerene

Taisuke Ohta

Andrew Lee Starbuck

A LIDAR system or the like uses a star coupler to distribute an input light beam over a steerable array. The input light beam is injected through an input signal waveguide on the input side of the star coupler. The light returning after reflecting from external objects is directed back through the star coupler to one or more waveguides on the input side. Return light is detected in one or more waveguides on the input side that are displaced from the input signal waveguide. In embodiments, the beam direction of the steerable array changes during the round-trip transit time of the returning light. This causes the returning light to arrive off-axis, which in turn causes it to couple into one or more of the displaced input-side waveguides instead of coupling back into the input signal waveguide.

System and method of optical scanning with detection of return signals using a star coupler

An apparatus is provided for nanoantenna-enhanced detection of infrared radiation. The apparatus includes one or more detector pixels. A plurality of detector pixels can constitute a focal plane array (FPA). Each detector pixel carries at least a first and a second subpattern of nanoantenna elements, with elements of the second subpattern interpolated between elements of the first subpattern. Each detector pixel also includes separate collection electrodes for collecting photogenerated current from the respective subpatterns.

Continuous full-resolution two-color infrared detector

A rectenna is used for full-wave rectification of infrared radiation to produce electricity. In the rectenna, a metallic grating overlies a semiconductor body. A tunnel barrier is interposed between each grating element and the semiconductor body. Each of the grating elements overlies a bridge pair consisting of a region of n-doped semiconductor and a region of p-doped semiconductor, both of which are embedded in more lightly doped host semiconductor material. Each of the two regions that compose the bridge pair forms a rectifying tunnel junction through a tunnel barrier to at least one overlying grating element. Each of the two regions also forms a semiconductor junction with the host semiconductor material.

Tunneling full-wave infrared rectenna

An actively tunable optical filter can control the amplitude of reflected infrared light. The filter exploits the dependence of the excitation energy of plasmons in a continuous and unpatterned sheet of graphene, on the Fermi-level, which can be controlled by conventional electrostatic gating. An exemplary filter enables simultaneous modification of two distinct spectral bands whose positions are dictated by the device geometry and graphene plasmon dispersion. Within these bands, the reflected amplitude can be varied by over 15% and resonance positions can be shifted by over 90 cm. Electromagnetic simulations verify that tuning arises through coupling of incident light to graphene plasmons by a nanoantenna grating structure. Importantly, the tunable range is determined by a combination of graphene properties, device structure, and the surrounding dielectrics, which dictate the plasmon dispersion. Thus, the underlying design is applicable across a broad range of infrared frequencies.

Tunable graphene-based infrared reflectance filter having patterned nanoantenna layer and unpatterned graphene layer

Various technologies for performing discrete-variable (DV) quantum key distribution (QKD) with integrated electro-optical circuits are described herein. An integrated DV-QKD system uses Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) to modulate a polarization of photons at a transmitter and select a photon polarization measurement basis at a receiver. A transmitter of a DV-QKD system further uses phase shifters to correct for non-idealities of the MZM in output provided to a polarization beam splitter. A receiver of a DV-QKD system can use phase shifters between a polarization beam splitter and an MZM to correct for non-idealities of the polarization beam splitter and the MZM on the receiver side.

Transceivers and receivers for discrete-variable quantum key distribution

Various technologies for performing continuous-variable (CV) and discrete-variable (DV) quantum key distribution (QKD) with integrated electro-optical circuits are described herein. An integrated DV-QKD system uses Mach-Zehnder modulators to modulate a polarization of photons at a transmitter and select a photon polarization measurement basis at a receiver. An integrated CV-QKD system uses wavelength division multiplexing to send and receive amplitude-modulated and phase-modulated optical signals with a local oscillator signal while maintaining phase coherence between the modulated signals and the local oscillator signal.

Transceivers and receivers for quantum key distribution and methods pertaining thereto

An avalanche diode includes an absorption region in a germanium body epitaxially grown on a silicon body including a multiplication region. Aspect-ratio trapping is used to suppress dislocation growth in the vicinity of the absorption region.

Avalanche diode having reduced dark current and method for its manufacture

A beam-steering optical transceiver is provided. The transceiver includes one or more modules, each comprising an antenna chip and a control chip bonded to the antenna chip. Each antenna chip has a feeder waveguide, a plurality of row waveguides that tap off from the feeder waveguide, and a plurality of metallic nanoantenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns such that each row overlies one of the row waveguides. Each antenna chip also includes a plurality of independently addressable thermo-optical phase shifters, each configured to produce a thermo-optical phase shift in a respective row. Each antenna chip also has, for each row, a row-wise heating circuit configured to produce a respective thermo-optic phase shift at each nanoantenna element along its row. The control chip includes controllable current sources for the independently addressable thermo-optical phase shifters and the row-wise heating circuits.

Integrated optical transceiver with electronically controlled optical beamsteering

Technologies pertaining to converting infrared (IR) radiation to DC energy are described herein. In a general embodiment, a rectenna comprises a conductive layer. A thin insulator layer is formed on the conductive layer, and a nanoantenna is formed on the thin insulator layer. The thin insulator layer acts as a tunnel junction of a tunnel diode.

Rectenna that converts infrared radiation to electrical energy

Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and single photon avalanche detectors (SPADs) are provided with a lateral multiplication region that provides improved amplification through increased impact ionization.

Two-dimensional APDs and SPADs and related methods

The integration of bilayer graphene with an absorption enhancing sub-wavelength antenna provides an infrared photodetector capable of real-time spectral tuning without filters at nanosecond timescales.

Sub-wavelength antenna enhanced bilayer graphene tunable photodetector

An optical beam-steering apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes one or more optical waveguides and at least one row of metallic nanoantenna elements overlying and electromagnetically coupled to a respective waveguide. In each such row, individual nanoantenna elements are spaced apart along an optical propagation axis of the waveguide so that there is an optical propagation phase delay between successive pairs of nanoantenna elements along the row. The apparatus also includes a respective single electric heating element in thermal contact with each of the waveguides. Each heating element is arranged to heat, substantially uniformly, at least that portion of its waveguide that directly underlies the corresponding row of nanoantenna elements.

Method and apparatus of wide-angle optical beamsteering from a nanoantenna phased array

A highly directional thermal emitter device comprises a two-dimensional periodic array of heavily doped semiconductor structures on a surface of a substrate. The array provides a highly directional thermal emission at a peak wavelength between 3 and 15 microns when the array is heated. For example, highly doped silicon (HDSi) with a plasma frequency in the mid-wave infrared was used to fabricate nearly perfect absorbing two-dimensional gratings structures that function as highly directional thermal radiators. The absorption and emission characteristics of the HDSi devices possessed a high degree of angular dependence for infrared absorption in the 10-12 micron range, while maintaining high reflectivity of solar radiation (&#x2dc;64%) at large incidence angles.

Highly directional thermal emitter

The various technologies presented herein relate to a three dimensional manufacturing technique for application with semiconductor technologies. A membrane layer can be formed over a cavity. An opening can be formed in the membrane such that the membrane can act as a mask layer to the underlying wall surfaces and bottom surface of the cavity. A beam to facilitate an operation comprising any of implantation, etching or deposition can be directed through the opening onto the underlying surface, with the opening acting as a mask to control the area of the underlying surfaces on which any of implantation occurs, material is removed, and/or material is deposited. The membrane can be removed, a new membrane placed over the cavity and a new opening formed to facilitate another implantation, etching, or deposition operation. By changing the direction of the beam different wall/bottom surfaces can be utilized to form a plurality of structures.

Membrane projection lithography

A frequency selective infrared (IR) photodetector having a predetermined frequency band. The exemplary frequency selective photodetector includes: a dielectric IR absorber having a first surface and a second surface substantially parallel to the first surface; an electrode electrically coupled to the first surface of the dielectric IR absorber; and a frequency selective surface plasmonic (FSSP) structure formed on the second surface of the dielectric IR absorber. The FSSP structure is designed to selectively transmit radiation in the predetermined frequency band that is incident on the FSSP structure substantially independent of the angle of incidence of the incident radiation on the FSSP structure.

Frequency selective infrared sensors

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Paul Davids