Bound states in the continuum (BICs) and exceptional points (EPs) have been the subjects of recent intensive research as they exhibit exotic phenomena that are significant for both fundamental physics and practical applications. We investigated the emergence of the Friedrich-Wintgen (FW) type BIC and the EP in a dielectric waveguide comprising a metal grating, focusing on their dependence on the grating thickness. The BIC emerges at a branch near the anti-crossing formed of the two waveguide modes, for a grating of any thickness. With the grating-thickness change, the anti-crossing gap varies and the branch at which the BIC appears flips. We show that, when the slit is single mode, the BIC appears at the crossing between the two waveguide modes in the empty-lattice (zero slit-width) limit, while the results satisfy the criteria for the branch at which the BIC appears in the previous reports. In addition, we find that the EP appears near the BIC in the same device only on selecting the grating thickness. The BIC and EP in the dielectric waveguide comprising a metal grating, particularly with such tunability, are expected to result in the development of functional and high-performance photonic devices in addition to being a platform for the fundamental research of non-Hermitian systems.
We propose a novel kind of the low-loss THz Waveguide Bragg Grating (TWBG) fabricated using plasmonic two-wire waveguide and a micromachined paper grating for potential applications in THz communications. Two TWBGs were fabricated with different periods and lengths. Transmission spectra of these TWBGs show 17 dB loss and 14 dB loss in the middle of their respective stop bands at 0.637 THz and 0.369 THz. Insertion loss of 1-4 dB in the whole 0.1-0.7 THz region was also measured. Finally, TWBG modal dispersion relation, modal loss and field distributions were studied numerically, and low-loss, h…
We report the fabrication and performance of the first C-band directly-written monolithic waveguide-laser. The waveguide-laser device was created in an Erbium and Ytterbium doped phosphate glass host and consisted of an optical waveguide that included a distributed feedback Bragg grating structure. The femtosecond laser direct-write technique was used to create both the waveguide and the waveguide-Bragg grating simultaneously and in a single processing step. The waveguide-laser was optically pumped at approximately 980 nm and lased at 1537nm with a bandwidth of less than 4 pm.
A means to calculate the multimodal spectral response of Bragg gratings in general non-circular multimode waveguides is proposed. To illustrate the power of the technique, the spectra of two Bragg temperature sensors are numerically calculated in which coupling between 100 modes considered. It is shown how the Bragg wavelength in multimode Bragg grating waveguides is affected by the number of modes and energy distribution among them. Good matching of the simulated spectrum of a multimode Bragg grating on a planar inverted rib waveguide to the measured spectrum is seen.
We present direct UV-written waveguides and Bragg gratings operating at 780 nm. By combining two gratings into a Fabry-Perot cavity we have devised and implemented a novel and practical method of measuring the group delay of Bragg gratings.
We investigate the performance of waveguide Bragg gratings as a function of imperfections introduced in the fabrication process. Effects of stitching errors introduced in the electron-beam and UV-lithography are discussed in details.
Femtosecond laser writing is applied to form Bragg grating waveguides in the diamond bulk. Type II waveguides are integrated with a single pulse point-by-point periodic laser modification positioned towards the edge of the waveguide core. These photonic devices, operating in the telecommunications band, allow for simultaneous optical waveguiding and narrowband reflection from a 4th order grating. This fabrication technology opens the way towards advanced 3D photonic networks in diamond for a range of applications.
We computationally study a subwavelength dielectric grating structure, show that slab waveguide modes can be used to obtain broadband high reflectivity, and analyze how slab waveguide modes influence reflection. A structure showing interference between Fabry-Perot modes, slab waveguide modes, and waveguide array modes is designed with ultra-broadband high reflectivity. Owing to the coupling of guided modes, the region with reflectivity R > 0.99 has an ultra-high bandwidth ( Δf/f > 30%). The incident-angle region with R > 0.99 extends over a range greater than 40°. Moreover, an asymmetric waveg…
We report on the first demonstration of a fully suspended 10m Fabry-Perot cavity incorporating a waveguide grating as the coupling mirror. The cavity was kept on resonance by reading out the length fluctuations via the Pound-Drever-Hall method and employing feedback to the laser frequency. From the achieved finesse of 790 the grating reflectivity was determined to exceed 99.2% at the laser wavelength of 1064\,nm, which is in good agreement with rigorous simulations. Our waveguide grating design was based on tantala and fused silica and included a ~20nm thin etch stop layer made of Al2O3 that a…
In this paper the experimental demonstration of a Silicon-on-Insulator Reflective Arrayed Waveguide Grating (R-AWG) is reported. The device employs one Sagnac loop mirror per arm in the array, built with a 1x2 input/outputs, 50:50 splitting ratio, Multimode Interference coupler, for total reflection. The spectral responses obtained are compared to those of regular AWGs fabricated in the same die.
We present a method to analyse the coupling of lateral displacements in nanoscale structures, in particular waveguide grating mirrors (WGM), into the phase of a reflected Gaussian beam using a finite-difference time-domain simulation. Such phase noise is of interest for using WGMs in high-precision interferometry. We show that WGMs do not couple lateral displacements into the phase of a reflected beam to a precision of 10^{-7} rad and that WGMs are therefore not subject to the same stringent alignment requirements as previously proposed layouts using diffraction gratings.
A novel layout for a reflective Arrayed Waveguide Grating is presented in this paper. The device consists of one half of a regular AWG where each arm waveguide in the array is terminated with a phase shifter and a Sagnac loop reflector. The theoretical model to describe and design the spectral response of this device is derivated. By individually adjusting the phase shifter and Sagnac reflectivity in each arm, this layout allows for tailoring the spectral response of the AWG. Design cases of Silicon-on-Insulator AWG devices with Gaussian and flattened response are provided.
The resonant transmission of two near-field coupled, cascaded band-pass filters, based on metallic stripe or patch gratings, is analysed. The response, in terms both of maximum efficiency and light rejection out of the resonance, overpasses the simple convolution of the responses of two isolated filters, while keeping good angular tolerance. Illustrations are given in the infrared range where sizing and technological integration of such compact structures are particularly relevant for detection applications.
This article presents an analytical solution of the effective index of the fundamental waveguide mode of $1$D metallo-dielectric grating for Transverse Magnetic (TM) polarization. In contrast to the existing numerical solution involving transcendental equation, it is shown that the square of the effective index ($n_{Eff}$) of the fundamental waveguide mode of $1$D grating is inversely proportional to the slit width ($w$) and the refractive index ($n_m$) of the ridge material and varies linearly with the incident wavelength ($λ$). Further, it has also been demonstrated that the dependence of $n…
We present a one-port sensor based on a single diffraction grating delineated over a planar optical waveguide. Distinctly to previously reported devices, the grating here is used not only as I/O coupler, but also provides a built-in reference beam which is basically unaffected by the sensing process as manifested in changes of the effective refractive index of the waveguide. The sensing process causes two effects simultaneously: a change in the angle of the out-coupled beam and a change in the phase accumulated by that beam. Both changes can be determined by their conjunction with the referenc…
Resistance thermometry is a time-tested method for taking temperature measurements. In recent years fundamental limits to resistance-based approaches spurred considerable interest in developing photonic temperature sensors as a viable alternative. In this study we demonstrate that our photonic thermometer, which consists of a silicon waveguide integrated with a Bragg grating, can be used to measure temperature changes over the range from 5 C to 160 C with a combined expanded uncertainty [k = 2 ; 95% confidence level] of 1.25 degree C. The computational modeling of the sensor predicts the reson…
We demonstrate how to control independently both spatial and temporal dynamics of slow light. We reveal that specially designed nonlinear waveguide arrays with phase-shifted Bragg gratings demonstrate the frequency-independent spatial diffraction near the edge of the photonic bandgap, where the group velocity of light can be strongly reduced. We show in numerical simulations that such structures allow a great flexibility in designing and controlling dispersion characteristics, and open a way for efficient spatiotemporal self-trapping and the formation of slow-light optical bullets.
We report a novel design of a compact wavelength add-drop multiplexer utilizing dielectric-loaded surface plasmon-polariton waveguides (DLSPPWs). The DLSPPW-based configuration exploits routing properties of directional couplers and filtering abilities of Bragg gratings. We present practical realization of a 20-$μ$m-long device operating at telecom wavelengths that can reroute optical signals separated by approximately 70 nm in the wavelength band. We characterize the performance of the fabricated structures using scanning near-field optical microscopy as well as leakage-radiation microscopy a…
We investigate bound states in the continuum (BICs) in a planar dielectric waveguide structure consisting of a gold grating on a dielectric layer with a back layer of metal. In this structure, Friedrich-Wintgen (FW) BICs caused by the destructive interference between the radiations from two waveguide modes appear near the anti-crossing point of the dispersion curves. In this study, it is revealed that the branch at which the BIC appears changes according to the polarization of incident radiation. Based on a temporal coupled mode theory, it is shown that the BIC branch is determined by the sign…
Supercontinuum generation is an extensively studied and arguably the most important and all-encompassing nonlinear phenomenon. Yet, we do not have a good control over all the signals generated in this process. Usually a large part of an octave spanning spectrum has orders of magnitude too much weaker signal than the peak to be useful for any application. In this work we show strong signal generation within a supercontinuum using a silicon Bragg grating waveguide. We show up to 23 dB of signal enhancement over a 10 nm full-width-at-half-maximum bandwidth at the Bragg resonance in the telecom wi…
We demonstrate a novel grating coupler design based on double asymmetric and vertically oriented waveguide scatterers to efficiently couple normally incident light to a fundamental mode silicon waveguide laying on a buried oxide layer.
We present the design and characterization of waveguide grating devices that couple visible-wavelength light at $λ=674$ nm from single-mode, high index-contrast dielectric waveguides to free-space beams forming micron-scale diffraction-limited spots a designed distance and angle from the grating. With a view to application in spatially-selective optical addressing, and in contrast to previous work on similar devices, deviations from the main Gaussian lobe up to $25$ microns from the focus and down to the $5\times10^{-6}$ level in relative intensity are characterized as well; we show that along…
We present a design of a one dimensional dielectric waveguide that can trap a broad band light pulse with different frequency component stored at different positions, effectively forming a "trapped rainbow"[1]. The spectrum of the rainbow covers the whole visible range. To do this, we first show that the dispersion of a $\text{SiO}_2$ waveguide with a Si grating placed on top can be engineered by the design parameter of the grating. Specifically, guided modes with zero group velocity(frozen modes) can be realized. Negative Goos-Hänchen shift along the surface of the grating is responsible for …
The past decade has witnessed the development of a large variety of new flat optics referred to as metasurfaces [1]. These metasurfaces are relying on arrays of a large variety of phase shifting elements. This article aims at presenting a novel type of flat optics able to perform wavefront shaping and beam redirection with a high wavelength or angular selectivity, as well as an intrinsic polarization selectivity. These new elements are not relying on localized phase-shifting but on a distributed guided-mode, closely linked to Resonant Waveguide Gratings (RWG). These new optical elements are re…
Vertical coupling using a diffraction grating is a convenient way to couple light into an optical waveguide. Several optimization approaches have been suggested in order to design such a coupler; however, most of them are implemented using algorithm based modelling. In this paper, we suggest an intuitive method based on S-matrix formalism for analytically optimize 3-port vertical grating coupler devices. The suggested method is general and can be applied to any 3-port coupler device in order to achieve an optimal design based on user constrains. The simplicity of the model allows reduction of …
Achieving large bandwidth at strong mode conversion strengths is a central problem in few-mode optical waveguides. The most uncomplicated modification of a standard mode-converting grating is to incorporate a single extra gap. Such simple design has not been applied yet for broadening conversion spectrum between core modes of any few-mode waveguide e.g. few-mode fiber, possibly due to lacking knowledge of critical parameter control: (a) phase shift value at resonance wavelength, and (b) deterministic method for placement of the phase shift(s) accommodating the change in waveguide properties du…
We propose and demonstrate subwavelength grating (SWG) metamaterial waveguides and ring resonators on a silicon nitride platform for the first time. The SWG waveguide is engineered such that a large overlap of 53% of the Bloch mode with the top cladding material is achieved, demonstrating excellent potential for applications in evanescent field sensing and light amplification. The devices, which have critical dimensions greater than 100 nm, are fabricated using a commercial rapid turn-around silicon nitride prototyping foundry process using electron beam lithography. Experimental characterizat…
We present a method for calculating the transmission spectra, dispersion, and time delay characteristics of optical-waveguide gratings based on Green's functions and Dyson's equation. Starting from the wave equation for transverse electric modes we show that the method can solve exactly both the problems of coupling of counter-propagating waves (Bragg gratings) and co-propagating waves (long-period gratings). In both cases the method applies for gratings with arbitrary dielectric modulation, including all kinds of chirp and apodisation and possibly also imperfections in the dielectric modulati…
The large transparency window of silicon, covering the 1.1 um 8 um wavelength range, makes it a promising platform for the implementation of photothermal-based absorption spectrometers. These devices indirectly sense absorption in the mid-infrared (MIR) by using near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, thereby enabling the realization of MIR absorption spectrometers without the need for MIR photodetectors. Nevertheless, due to their comparatively large index contrast and cross-sections, MIR Si strip waveguides are multi-mode at NIR wavelengths, hindering device implementation. Here we present, for the…
In this work, we propose an approach for the design of a waveguide structure that allows for efficient and highly asymmetric coupling of the quantum sources with circularly polarized transition dipole moments to the guided mode of the structure. The approach is based on the mixing of the two quasi-degenerate modes of a periodic waveguide with an auxiliary single-mode waveguide leading to the formation of the dispersion with a stationary inflection point and consequently to the high coupling efficiency of this mode with a dipole source. We show that the distribution of the field polarization in…
We propose an on-chip source of entangled photon pairs that uses an arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) with multiple nonlinear input waveguides as correlated photon pair sources. The AWG wavelength-demultiplexes photon pairs created in input waveguides and simultaneously produces a high-dimensional entangled state encoded in the optical path. We implemented the device with a monolithic silicon-silica waveguide integration platform and demonstrated the entanglement of two dimensions in a proof-of-principle experiment.
The first demonstration of narrowband spectral filtering of multimode light on a 3D integrated photonic chip using photonic lanterns and waveguide Bragg gratings is reported. The photonic lanterns with multi-notch waveguide Bragg gratings were fabricated using the femtosecond direct-write technique in boro-aluminosilicate glass (Corning, Eagle 2000). Transmission dips of up to 5 dB were measured in both photonic lanterns and reference single-mode waveguides with 10.4-mm-long gratings. The result demonstrates efficient and symmetrical performance of each of the gratings in the photonic lantern.…
We design a focusing grating coupler by a simultaneous apodization of the filling factor and the period. In addition to in plane focusing to the input waveguide providing a total length of less than 70μm, a further apodization of the curvature allows out of plane focusing into a fiber set 150μm away from the grating surface. The design is proposed for novel semiconductor on insulator waveguides such as GaInP. The coupling efficiency is calculated from two dimensional simulation which is about 45%.
A highly sensitive refractive index sensor based on grating-assisted strip waveguide directional coupler is proposed. The sensor is designed using two coupled asymmetric strip waveguides with a top-loaded grating structure in one of the waveguides. Maximum light couples from one waveguide to the other at the resonance wavelength, and the change in resonance wavelength with the change in refractive index of the medium in the cover region is a measure of the sensitivity. The proposed sensor would be an on-chip device with a high refractive index sensitivity of ~ 104 nm/RIU, and negligible temper…
We report a planar 1D photonic bandgap waveguide exhibiting four second-order exceptional points (EP2s). The interactions between the selective pairs of supported quasi-guided TE modes are modulated by spatial distribution of transverse in-homogeneous gain-loss profile.
Modern nonlinear optical materials allow light of one wavelength be efficiently converted into light at another wavelength. However, designing nonlinear optical materials to operate with ultrashort pulses is difficult, because it is necessary to match both the phase velocities and group velocities of the light. Here we show that self-organized nonlinear gratings can be formed with femtosecond pulses propagating through nanophotonic waveguides, providing simultaneous group-velocity matching and quasi-phase-matching for second harmonic generation. We record the first direct microscopy images of …
We explore exceptional points (EP) in a dual-mode symmetric planar optical waveguide with transverse variation of inhomogeneous loss profile; where modal evolution alongside an EP is reported in the context of selective optical mode conversion.
The unique ability of slot and sub-wavelength grating (SWG) waveguides to confine light outside of the waveguide core material has attracted significant interest in their application to chemical and biological sensing. However, high sensitivity to sidewall roughness induced scattering loss in these structures compared to strip waveguides casts doubt on their efficacy. In this article, we seek to settle the controversy by quantitatively comparing the sensing performance of various waveguide geometries through figures of merit that we derive for each mode of sensing. These methods take into acco…
Conventional surface-relief gratings are inefficient at deflecting normally-incident light by large angles. This constrains their use in many applications and limits the overall efficiency of any optical instrument integrating gratings. Here, we demonstrate a simple approach for the design of diffraction gratings that can be highly efficient for large deflection angles, while also offering additional functionality. The gratings are composed of a unit cell comprising a vertically-oriented asymmetric slot-waveguide. The unit cell shows oscillating unidirectional scattering behavior that can be p…
We propose the use of interleaved graphene sections on top of a silicon waveguide to implement tunable Bragg gratings. The filter central wavelength and bandwidth can be controlled changing the chemical potential of the graphene sections. Apodization techniques are also presented.
Optical microresonators are of paramount importance in photonic circuits requiring fine spectral filtering or resonant light recirculation. Key performance metrics improve with increasing resonance quality factor (Q) across all applications. The performance of silicon photonic circuits is often hampered by the low-quality factor of planar silicon microresonators, typically of Q~10^4-10^5. On the other hand, bulk whispering gallery mode resonators provide a wide range of materials with intriguing optical properties and exceptionally high resonant quality factors Q>10^7. However, the efficient c…
Dispersion problem has always constrained the development of see-through near-eye displays with diffractive waveguide. Here, we propose a design method and optical systems for achromatic surface microstructure composed with a triple-carved-sub-grating. The triple-carved-sub-grating with specified period is designed based on rigorous coupled wave theory, corresponding to Red, Green and Blue (RGB) wavelengths, respectively, with diffraction efficiencies of 1st(-1st) orders reach 47.5% under TE polarization. The surface microstructure with period of 18.9um is realized by integrating the three sub…
We present here the inscription of single-mode waveguides with Bragg gratings in sapphire. The waveguide Bragg gratings have a novel multi-layer depressed cladding design in the 1550 nm telecommunications waveband. The Bragg gratings have a narrow bandwidth (<0.5 nm) and have survived annealing at 1000°C. The structures are inscribed with femtosecond laser direct writing, using adaptive beam shaping with a non-immersion objective. A single-mode sapphire fiber Bragg grating is created by writing a waveguide with a Bragg grating within a 425 μm diameter sapphire optical fiber, providing signific…
Diffraction gratings with high upward diffraction efficiency and large effective length are required for chip-scale light detection and ranging. In this paper, we propose a diffraction grating based on a multilayer silicon nitride waveguide, which theoretically achieves an upward diffraction efficiency of 92$\%$, a near-field effective length of 376 $μm$ and a far-field divergence angle of 0.105$^{\circ}$ at a wavelength of 850 nm. The diffraction grating has a high tolerance to process variations based on Monte Carlo Analysis. When the conditions are $\pm$5$\%$ layer thickness variation, $\pm…
We experimentally demonstrate a broadband, fabrication tolerant, CMOS compatible compact silicon waveguide taper (34.2 um) in silicon-on-insulator wire waveguides. The taper works on multi-mode interference along the length of the taper. A single taper design has a broadband operation with coupling efficiency >70% over 700 nm that can be used in O, C and L-band. The compact taper is highly tolerant to fabrication variations; >100 nm change in the taper and end waveguide width varies the taper transmission by <5%. The footprint of the device i.e. taper along with the linear gratings is ~ 442 m2…
