Light localization induced enhancement of third order nonlinearities in a GaAs photonic crystal waveguide
A. Baron, A. Ryasnyanskiy, N. Dubreuil, P. Delaye, Q. Vy Tran, S. Combrie, A. de Rossi, R. Frey, G. Roosen
备注：
6 pages
发表信息：
Alexandre Baron, Aleksandr Ryasnyanskiy, Nicolas Dubreuil, Philippe Delaye, Quynh Vy Tran, Sylvain Combrie, Alfredo de Rossi, Robert Frey, and Gerald Roosen, Opt. Express 17, 552-557 (2009)
Nonlinear propagation experiments in GaAs photonic crystal waveguides (PCW) were performed, which exhibit a large enhancement of third order nonlinearities, due to light propagation in a slow mode regime, such as two-photon absorption (TPA), optical Kerr effect and refractive index changes due to TPA generated free-carriers. A theoretical model has been established that shows very good quantitative agreement with experimental data and demonstrates the important role that group velocity plays. These observations give a strong insight into the use of PCWs for optical switching devices.
We present optical investigations of rectangular surface plasmon polariton waveguides lithographically defined on GaAs substrates. The plasmon propagation length is directly determined using a confocal microscope, with independent polarization control in both excitation and detection channels. Surface plasmon polaritons are launched along the waveguide using a lithographically defined defect at one end. At the remote end of the waveguide they scatter into the far-field, where they are imaged using a CCD camera. By monitoring the length dependence of the intensity of scattered light from the wa…
Terahertz near fields of gold metamaterials resonant at a frequency of $0.88\,\rm THz$ allow us to enter an extreme limit of non-perturbative ultrafast THz electronics: Fields reaching a ponderomotive energy in the keV range are exploited to drive nondestructive, quasi-static interband tunneling and impact ionization in undoped bulk GaAs, injecting electron-hole plasmas with densities in excess of $10^{19}\,\rm cm^{-3}$. This process causes bright luminescence at energies up to $0.5\,\rm eV$ above the band gap and induces a complete switch-off of the metamaterial resonance accompanied by self-…
We proposed an experimentally feasible scheme of nano-plamonic switch and quantum router via the single self-assembled InGaAs/GaAs semiconductor quantum dot (SQD) with a V type three-level energy structure located between two silver metallic waveguides. We studied theoretically transmission and transfer rates of single plasmons in such a multi-ports system via the real-space approach, where our results showed that single plasmons from the input port could be switchable and redirected by controlling parameters, such as the intensity of the classical field, the detunings, and the interaction bet…
We present a degenerate four-wave mixing experiment on a silicon nitride (SiN) waveguide covered with gated graphene. We observe strong dependencies on signal-pump detuning and Fermi energy, i.e. the optical nonlinearity is demonstrated to be electrically tunable. In the vicinity of the interband absorption edge ($2|E_F|\approx \hbarω$) a peak value of the waveguide nonlinear parameter of $\approx$ 6400 m$^{-1}$W$^{-1}$, corresponding to a graphene nonlinear sheet conductivity $|σ_s^{(3)}|\approx4.3\cdot 10^{-19}$ A m$^2$V$^{-3}$ is measured.
A method for the substantial reduction of propagation loss of surface plasmons was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The method is based on the fact that the propagation loss of the surface plasmons depends significantly on the optical confinement of the plasmon. A plasmonic structure, which contains a metal and two dielectric layers of different refractive indexes, is proposed in order to optimize optical confinement and to reduce propagation loss of the surface plasmons. A low propagation loss of 0.17 dB/um for a surface plasmon in a Fe/MgO/AlGaAs plasmonic structure was achieved. A …
The third-order optical nonlinearity in optical waveguides has found applications in optical switching, optical wavelength conversion, optical frequency comb generation, and ultrafast optical signal processing. The development of an integrated waveguide platform with a high nonlinearity is therefore important for nonlinear integrated photonics. Here, we report the observation of an enhancement in the nonlinearity of an air-cladding silicon pedestal waveguide. We observe enhanced nonlinear spectral broadening compared to a conventional silicon-on-insulator waveguide. At the center wavelength of…
We present experimental results on the observation of a bulk second-order nonlinear susceptibility derived from both free-space and integrated measurements in silicon nitride. Phase-matching is achieved through dispersion engineering of the waveguide cross-section, independently revealing multiple components of the nonlinear susceptibility, namely X(2)yyy and X(2)xxy. Additionally, we show how the generated second-harmonic signal may be actively tuned through the application of bias voltages across silicon nitride. The nonlinear material properties measured here are anticipated to allow for th…
Plasmonic waveguides provide an integrated platform to develop efficient nanoscale ultrafast photonic devices. Theoretical models that describe nonlinear optical phenomena in plasmonic waveguides, usually, only incorporate bulk nonlinearities, while nonlinearities that arise from metallic constituents remained unexplored. In this work, we present a method that enables a generalized treatment of the nonlinearities present in plasmonic waveguides and use it to calculate second-harmonic generation from free electrons through a hydrodynamic nonlocal description. As a general application of our met…
Bulk materials possessing a relative electric permittivity $\varepsilon$ close to zero exhibit giant Kerr nonlinearities. However, harnessing this response in guided-wave geometries is not straightforward, due to the extreme and counter-intuitive properties of epsilon-near-zero materials. Here we investigate, through rigorous calculations of the Kerr nonlinear coefficient, how the remarkable nonlinear properties of such materials can be exploited in several different types of structures, including bulk films, plasmonic nanowires, and metal nanoapertures. We find the largest Kerr nonlinear resp…
We report on an integrated GaAs disk/waveguide system. A millimeter-long waveguide is suspended and tapered on the chip over a length of 25 μm to evanescently couple to high Q optical whispering gallery modes of a GaAs disk. The critical coupling regime is obtained both by varying the disk/guide gap distance and the width of the suspended nanoscale taper. The experimental results are in good agreement with predictions from the coupled mode theory.
We report a valley photonic crystal (VPhC) waveguide in a GaAs slab with InAs quantum dots (QDs) as an internal light source exploited for experimental characterization of the waveguide. A topological interface state formed at the interface between two topologically-distinct VPhCs is used as the waveguide mode. We demonstrate robust propagation for near-infrared light emitted from the QDs even under the presence of sharp bends as a consequence of the topological protection of the guided mode. Our work will be of importance for developing robust photonic integrated circuits with small footprint…
Using aluminum-nitride photonic-chip waveguides, we generate optical-frequency-comb supercontinuum spanning from 500 nm to 4000 nm with a 0.8 nJ seed pulse, and show that the spectrum can be tailored by changing the waveguide geometry. Since aluminum nitride exhibits both quadratic and cubic nonlinearities, the spectra feature simultaneous contributions from numerous nonlinear mechanisms: supercontinuum generation, difference-frequency generation, second-harmonic generation, and third-harmonic generation. As one application of integrating multiple nonlinear processes, we measure and stabilize …
We experimentally demonstrate a simple configuration for mid-infrared (MIR) frequency comb generation in quasi-phase-matched lithium niobate waveguides using the cascaded-$χ^{(2)}$ nonlinearity. With nanojoule-scale pulses from an Er:fiber laser, we observe octave-spanning supercontinuum in the near-infrared with dispersive-wave generation in the 2.5--3 $\textμ$m region and intra-pulse difference-frequency generation in the 4--5 $\textμ$m region. By engineering the quasi-phase-matched grating profiles, tunable, narrow-band MIR and broadband MIR spectra are both observed in this geometry. Final…
The interaction of two orthogonally polarized beams and a four-level GaAs quantum well (QW) waveguide is investigated. It is shown that, by applying a static magnetic field normal to the propagation direction of the driving beams, the birefringence can be induced in the QW waveguide. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the dephasing rate between two ground states of the QW waveguide makes it a dichromatic medium and can also diminish the induced birefringence. Our results show how a large and complete magneto-optical rotation in the QW waveguide can be obtained via adjusting the intensity of the…
We report on the analysis of electroabsorption in thin GaAs/Al$_{0.3}$Ga$_{0.7}$As nanophotonic waveguides with an embedded $p$-$i$-$n$ junction. By measuring the transmission through waveguides of different lengths, we derive the propagation loss as a function of electric field, wavelength, and temperature. The results are in good agreement with the Franz-Keldysh model of electroabsorption extending over 200 meV below the GaAs bandgap, i.e. in the 910--970 nm wavelength range. We find a pronounced residual absorption in forward bias, which we attribute to Fermi-level pinning at the waveguide …
Nonlinear frequency conversion plays a crucial role in advancing the functionality of next-generation optical systems. Portable metrology references and quantum networks will demand highly efficient second-order nonlinear devices, and the intense nonlinear interactions of nanophotonic waveguides can be leveraged to meet these requirements. Here we demonstrate second harmonic generation (SHG) in GaAs-on-insulator waveguides with unprecedented efficiency of 40 W$^{-1}$ for a single-pass device. This result is achieved by minimizing the propagation loss and optimizing phase-matching. We investiga…
We present femtosecond pump-probe measurements of the nondegenerate (1960$\,$nm excitation and 1176--1326$\,$nm probe) two-photon absorption spectra of 8 $\,$nm GaAs/12$\,$nm Al$_{0.32}$Ga$_{0.68}$As quantum well waveguides. Experiments were performed with light pulses co-polarized normal and tangential to the quantum well plane. The results are compared to perturbative calculations of transition rates between states determined by the $\mathbf{k}\cdot\mathbf{p}$ method with an 8 or 14 band basis. We find excellent agreement between theory and experiment for normal polarization, then use the mo…
Tremendous scientific progress has been achieved through the development of nonlinear integrated photonics. Prominent examples are Kerr-frequency-comb generation in micro-resonators, and supercontinuum generation and frequency conversion in nonlinear photonic waveguides. High conversion efficiency is enabling for applications of nonlinear optics, including such broad directions as high-speed optical signal processing, metrology, and quantum communication and computation. In this work, we demonstrate a gallium-arsenide-on-insulator (GaAs) platform for nonlinear photonics. GaAs has among the hig…
Integrated quantum photonics is a promising approach for future practical and large-scale quantum information processing technologies, with the prospect of on-chip generation, manipulation and measurement of complex quantum states of light. The gallium arsenide (GaAs) material system is a promising technology platform, and has already successfully demonstrated key components including waveguide integrated single-photon sources and integrated single-photon detectors. However, quantum circuits capable of manipulating quantum states of light have so far not been investigated in this material syst…
We analyse Raman-induced self-frequency shift in two-component solitons supported by both quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. Treating Raman terms as a perturbation, we derive expressions for soliton velocity and frequency shifts of the fundamental frequency and second harmonic soliton components. We find these predictions compare well with simulations of soliton propagation. We also show that Raman shift can cause two-component solitons to approach the boundary of their own existence and subsequently trigger soliton instabilities. In some cases these instabilities are accompanied by an almost…
Nonlinear optical phenomena are typically local. Here we predict the possibility of highly nonlocal optical nonlinearities for light propagating in atomic media trapped near a nano-waveguide, where long-range interactions between the atoms can be tailored. When the atoms are in an electromagnetically-induced transparency configuration, the atomic interactions are translated to long-range interactions between photons and thus to highly nonlocal optical nonlinearities. We derive and analyze the governing nonlinear propagation equation, finding a roton-like excitation spectrum for light and the e…
A traveling wave model for a semiconductor diode laser based on quantum wells is presented as well as a comprehensive theoretical model of the lasing dynamics produced by the intensity discrimination of the nonlinear mode-coupling in a waveguide array. By leveraging a recently developed model for the detailed semiconductor gain dynamics, the temporal shaping effects of the nonlinear mode-coupling induced by the waveguide arrays can be characterized. Specifically, the enhanced nonlinear pulse shaping provided by the waveguides are capable of generating stable frequency combs wavelength of 800 n…
While nanoscale modal confinement radically enhances a variety of nonlinear light-matter interactions within silicon waveguides, traveling-wave stimulated Brillouin scattering nonlinearities have never been observed in silicon nanophotonics. Through a new class of hybrid photonic-phononic waveguides, we demonstrate tailorable traveling-wave forward stimulated Brillouin scattering in nanophotonic silicon waveguides for the first time, yielding 3000 times stronger forward SBS responses than any previous waveguide system. Simulations reveal that a coherent combination of electrostrictive forces a…
Exciton-polaritons are hybrid light-matter states that arise from strong coupling between an exciton resonance and a photonic cavity mode. As bosonic excitations, they can undergo a phase transition to a condensed state that can emit coherent light without a population inversion. This aspect makes them good candidates for thresholdless lasers, yet short exciton-polariton lifetime has made it difficult to achieve condensation at very low power densities. In this sense, long-lived symmetry-protected states are excellent candidates to overcome the limitations that arise from the finite mirror ref…
Joint spectral characterization of SPDC photon pairs near 2 $μ$m in (Al)GaAs-on-insulator waveguides
Université de Moncton（蒙克顿大学）；Aarhus University（奥胡斯大学）；QVersion；University of Toronto（多伦多大学）；National Institute of Standards and Technology（美国国家标准与技术研究院）；EMode Photonix
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We demonstrate analytically and numerically that a subwavelength-core dielectric photonic nanowire embedded in a properly designed photonic crystal fiber cladding shows evidence of a previously unknown kind of nonlinearity (the magnitude of which is strongly dependent on the waveguide parameters) which acts on solitons so as to considerably reduce their Raman self-frequency shift. An explanation of the phenomenon in terms of indirect pulse negative chirping and broadening is given by using the moment method. Our conclusions are supported by detailed numerical simulations.
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We have measured the photonic bandstructure of GaAs photonic-crystal waveguides with high energy and momentum resolution using near-field scanning optical microscopy. Intriguingly, we observe additional bands that are not predicted by eigenmode solvers, as was recently demonstrated by Huisman et al. [Phys. Rev. B 86, 155154 (2012)]. We study the presence of these additional bands by performing measurements of these bands while varying the incident light power, revealing a non-linear power dependence. Here, we demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that the observed additional bands are c…
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We propose a scheme to realize nonlinear coherent perfect absorption (CPA) at the nanoscale using epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) plasmonic waveguides. The general conditions to achieve CPA in a linear ENZ plasmonic waveguide are analyzed and presented. The proposed ENZ waveguides support an effective ENZ response at their cut-off frequency, where the CPA effect occurs under the illumination of two counter-propagating plane waves with equal amplitudes and appropriate phase distributions. In addition, the strong and uniform field enhancement inside the nanochannels of the waveguides at the ENZ resonanc…
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We develop a thermally tunable hybrid photonic platform comprising gallium arsenide (GaAs) photonic crystal cavities, silicon nitride (SiN$_x$) grating couplers and waveguides, and chromium (Cr) microheaters on an integrated photonic chip. The GaAs photonic crystal cavities are evanescently connected to a common bus waveguide, separating the computation and communication layers. The microheaters are designed to continuously and reversibly tune distant photonic crystal cavities to a common resonance. This architecture can be implemented in a coherent optical network for dedicated optical comput…
Slow light has been widely utilized to obtain enhanced nonlinearities, enhanced spontaneous emissions, and increased phase shifts owing to its ability to promote light-matter interactions. By incorporating a graphene microheater on a slow-light silicon photonic crystal waveguide, we experimentally demonstrated an energy-efficient graphene microheater with a tuning efficiency of 1.07 nm/mW and power consumption per free spectral range of 3.99 mW. The rise and decay times (10% to 90%) were only 750 ns and 525 ns, which, to the best of our knowledge, are the fastest reported response times for mi…
Exciton-polaritons are hybrid light-matter excitations arising from the non-perturbative coupling of a photonic mode and an excitonic resonance. Behaving as interacting photons, they show optical third-order nonlinearities providing effects such as optical parametric oscillation or amplification. It has been suggested that polariton-polariton interactions can be greatly enhanced by inducing aligned electric dipoles in their excitonic part. However direct evidence of a true particle-particle interaction, such as superfluidity or parametric scattering is still missing. In this work, we demonstra…
