University of California

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Oracle International Corporation

The Mitre Corporation

Yeshaiahu Fainman

Lin Pang

Brandon Hong

Abdelkrim El Amili

Andrew Grieco

Joanna N Ptasinski

Pang-Chen Sun

Haiping Matthew Chen

Ashok V Krishnamoorthy

Xuezhe Zheng

Andrew C Kummel

Kevin Tetz

Stojan Radic

Boubacar Kante

George Papen

Mercedeh Khajavikhan

Maxim Abashin

Thomas Lepetit

Ashok Kodigala

Felipe Vallini

Cheng-Yi Fang

Alexei Smolyaninov

Lindsay Freeman

Iam Choon Khoo

Sungwoon Kim

Grace M Hwang

Boris Slutsky

Qing Gu

Nikola Alić

Hung-Hsi Lin

Ang Li

Wataru Nakagawa

Chyong-Hua Chen

Joseph Smalley

Stephen Pappert

The technology described in this document can be used to implement beam steering in optical systems and photonic devices, to provide a nonmechanical beam steering system for projecting optical energy and controlling the direction of the optical energy using a collection of devices and components that are fixed in position to selectively direct light from an array of different optical emitters at different locations.

Photonic beam steering and applications for optical communications

Microwave photonic devices use light to carry and process microwave signals over a photonic link. Light can be used as a stimulus to microwave devices that directly control microwave signals. Previous optically controlled devices suffer from large footprint, high optical power level required for switching, lack of scalability and complex integration requirements, restricting their implementation in practical microwave systems. Disclosed are monolithic optically reconfigurable integrated microwave switches (MORIMSs) built on a CMOS compatible silicon photonic chip. The disclosed scalable micrometer-scale switches provide higher switching efficiency and operate using optical power that is orders of magnitude lower than previous devices. The disclosed devices and techniques provide examples of silicon photonic platforms integrating microwave circuitry.

Optical control of an electrical waveguide switch using a photoconductive patch controlled by optical power supplied by an optical waveguide

Devices, systems and methods for optical spectroscopy using a Fourier transform that improve measurement speed, and relax the sampling rate and dynamic range requirements compared to conventional techniques, are described. One exemplary method for optical Fourier transform spectroscopy includes receiving a broadband signal, spectrally partitioning the broadband signal to generate a plurality of spectral channel interferograms, computing a one-dimensional Fourier transform of a function of each of the plurality of spectral channel interferograms to generate each of a plurality of channel spectrums, and reconstructing a spectrum of the broadband signal based on the plurality of channel spectrums. Embodiments of the disclosed technology include a free-space channel dispersed Fourier transform spectrometer and an integrated silicon-on-insulator Fourier transform spectrometer.

Optical spectroscopy using the fourier transform

Systems and methods according to present principles provide, at room temperature, a bound state in the continuum laser that harnesses optical modes residing in the radiation continuum but nonetheless may possess arbitrarily high quality factors. These counterintuitive cavities are based on resonantly trapped symmetry-compatible modes that destructively interfere. Such systems and methods may be applied towards coherent sources with intriguing topological properties for optical trapping, biological imaging, and quantum communication.

System and method for bound state in continuum laser sources

Compact optical spectrometers are provided to measure optical spectral composition of light.

Miniaturized and integrated photonic spectrometers

Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for implementing light-emitting hyperbolic metasurfaces. In one exemplary aspect, a light-emitting device includes a surface; a plurality of quantum heterostructures positioned on the surface, each of the plurality of quantum heterostructures including multiple quantum wells distributed along an axis perpendicular to the surface and separated by multiple quantum barriers, wherein each two adjacent quantum heterostructures of the plurality quantum heterostructures form a gap; and a monocrystalline material at least partially filling gaps between the plurality quantum heterostructures.

Luminescent hyperbolic metasurfaces

Methods, systems, and devices for particle characterization by optical phase modulation and detection of aerosol backscattering. In some aspects, a compact and cost effective particle detector device to measure the aerosol density and its size distribution by backscattered focusing using projected optical modified field distribution imaging into the aerosol medium (air). The disclosed device can be used in a variety of scientific and industrial applications, e.g., such as a particle sensor for automobiles able to detect harmful pollution which may then be filtered from the car cabin, or warnings provided to the driver. The device can also capture and store data, enabling detailed pollution maps of various roadways in real-time.

Optical phase modulation systems and methods

Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for implementing nanostructures in the optical domain that highly localize the incident electromagnetic field to with a large spectral range from the visible to the infrared range. An optical nano antenna device is provided to include a substrate; a central conductive core formed on the substrate; and a peripheral conductive shell formed on the substrate and located peripheral to the central conductive core to surround at least a part of the central conductive core. The central conductive core and peripheral conductive shell form a coaxial structure with a dimension less than an optical wavelength of light.

Broadband metacoaxial optical nanoantennas based on plasmonic modes

Systems, devices and techniques are disclosed for optically detecting single molecules using nanoscale chip configurations. In one aspect, a sensing device includes a composite membrane having an array of nanochannels that form openings at opposing sides of the membrane, a first and second substrate each including channels to carry a fluid containing particles, a fluidic module that is fluidically coupled to the channels to supply the fluid, a plurality of electrodes located along the channels, and an electrical module to generate an electric field via the electrodes to effectuate an electrokinetic force within the channels to steer the particles toward the openings of the nanochannels to immobilize the particles, in which the nanochannels operate as resonant structures to amplify localized fields produced in an optical interrogation of the immobilized particles.

Nanochip based surface plasmon resonance sensing devices and techniques

A temperature-stabilized photonic circuit comprising: a material platform; a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible, photonic device integrated on the material platform, wherein the photonic device has a positive thermo-optic coefficient; and a liquid crystal layer clad over the photonic device, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a negative thermo-optic coefficient such that the temperature of the circuit is passively stabilized through adjustment of the effective refractive index of the photonic device.

Apparatus and method for stabilizing the temperature of a photonic circuit

Methods and systems for combined SPP and Raman scattering-based bio-detection are provided. Embodiments include a bio-detection system having a microfluidics chip, a Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP)-based system component, and a Raman scattering-based system component. The SPP-based and the Raman scattering-based system components can be used simultaneously or individually separately to detect biological and/or chemical analytes. The bio-detection system further includes an aerosol collector chip. Embodiments of the present invention can be used aboard means of propagation of biological and/or chemical analytes, including, for example, commercial aircrafts. Embodiments of the present invention can be used to enable an aircraft warning system.

Multi-modal surface plasmon polariton&#x2014;raman scattering based bio-detection

Methods, structures, devices and systems are disclosed for implementing compact (e.g., nanoscale) coaxial lasers with coaxial cavity geometries which can be used to construct various coaxial cavity lasers that can operate in single mode, at room-temperature, and produce continuous-wave lasing. The described laser systems can also operate at low-temperatures, and provide thresholdless lasing using a spectrally broadband semiconductor gain medium. The cavity of the compact lasers includes a central metal core and a hollow ring surrounding the central metal core, formed within a housing with an open terminal and a closed terminal. The open terminal is positioned to both receive pump light and output laser light, and the closed terminal includes a metal cap that encloses the central metal rod and one side of the hollow ring. The described nano cavities also include a ring-shaped gain medium section, and ring-shaped lower and upper plug sections.

Nanoscale coaxial lasers

A differential measurement design employing two nearly collinear optical beams provides surface plasmon polariton resonance (SPR) sensors and a corresponding method of increased dynamic range and signal to noise ratio. The differential measurement device and method based on wavelength interrogation, employs a single incident polarization state, and is combined with a 2-D nanohole array for operation at near-normal incidence, where this approach offers a decrease in the measurement time.

Differential detection for surface plasmon resonance sensor and method

Techniques, apparatus, material and systems are described for implementing a three-dimensional composite mushroom-like metallodielectric nanostructure. In one aspect, a surface plasmon based sensing device includes a substrate and a layer of an anti-reflective coating over the substrate. The surface Plasmon based sensing device includes a dielectric material on the anti-reflective coating shaped to form a 2-dimensional array of nanoholes spaced from one another. Also, the surface Plasmon based sensing device includes a layer of a metallic film formed on the 2-dimensional array of nanoholes to include openings over the nanoholes, respectively, wherein the sensing device is structured to support both propagating surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waves and localized surface plasmon resonant (LSPR) modes.

Sensing devices and techniques using 3-D arrays based on surface plasmon excitations

An optical multiplexer/demultiplexer is described. In this optical multiplexer/demultiplexer, multiple coupled-waveguide grating devices are optically coupled to a bus optical waveguide. A given coupled-waveguide grating device has a band-pass filter characteristic that encompasses multiple optical channels, thereby providing coarse optical filtering. Moreover, the optical multiplexer/demultiplexer includes multiple add/drop filters (such as ring resonators) that optically couple to the coupled-waveguide grating devices. A given add/drop filter has a filter bandwidth corresponding to a given optical channel, thereby providing fine optical filtering. Furthermore, the band-pass filter characteristic of the given coupled-waveguide grating device is approximately equal to or less than a free spectral range (FSR) of the given add/drop filter.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Yeshaiahu Fainman