High performance integrated photonic circuit based on inverse design method

The basic indexes of all-optical integrated photonic circuits include high-density integration,ultrafast response and ultralow energy consumption.Traditional methods mainly adopt conventional micro/nano-structures.The overall size of the circuit is large,usually reaches hundreds of microns.Besides,it is difficult to balance the ultrafast response and ultra-low energy consumption problem,and the crosstalk between two traditional devices is difficult to overcome.Here,we propose and experimentally demonstrate an approach based on inverse design method to realize a high-density,ultrafast and ultra-low energy consumption integrated photonic circuit with two all-optical switches controlling the input states of an all-optical XOR logic gate.The feature size of the whole circuit is only 2.5μm×7μm,and that of a single device is 2μm×2μm.The distance between two adjacent devices is as small as 1.5μm,within wavelength magnitude scale.Theoretical response time of the circuit is 150 fs,and the threshold energy is within 10 fJ/bit.We have also considered the crosstalk problem.The circuit also realizes a function of identifying two-digit logic signal results.Our work provides a new idea for the design of ultrafast,ultra-low energy consumption all-optical devices and the implementation of high-density photonic integrated circuits.

Pixelated non-volatile programmable photonic integrated circuits with 20-level intermediate states

Multi-level programmable photonic integrated circuits(PICs)and optical metasurfaces have gained widespread attention in many fields,such as neuromorphic photonics,opticalcommunications,and quantum information.In this paper,we propose pixelated programmable Si_(3)N_(4)PICs with record-high 20-level intermediate states at 785 nm wavelength.Such flexibility in phase or amplitude modulation is achieved by a programmable Sb_(2)S_(3)matrix,the footprint of whose elements can be as small as 1.2μm,limited only by the optical diffraction limit of anin-house developed pulsed laser writing system.We believe our work lays the foundation for laser-writing ultra-high-level(20 levels and even more)programmable photonic systems and metasurfaces based on phase change materials,which could catalyze diverse applications such as programmable neuromorphic photonics,biosensing,optical computing,photonic quantum computing,and reconfigurable metasurfaces.

InP photonic circuits using generic integration [Invited]

InP integrated photonics has become a critical enabler for modern telecommunications, and is poised to revolutionize data communications, precision metrology, spectrometry, and imaging. The possibility to integrate high-performance amplifiers, lasers, modulators, and detectors in combination with interferometers within one chip is enabling game-changing performance advances, energy savings, and cost reductions. Generic integration accelerates progress through the separation of applications from a common technology development. In this paper, we review the current status in In P integrated photonics and the efforts to integrate the next generation of high-performance functionality on a common substrate using the generic methodology.

Generation and dynamic manipulation of frequency degenerate polarization entangled Bell states by a silicon quantum photonic circuit

A silicon quantum photonic circuit was proposed and realized for the generation and the dynamic manipulation of telecom-band frequency-degenerate polarization entangled Bell states.Frequency degenerate biphoton states were generated in four silicon waveguides by spontaneous four wave mixing.They were transformed to polar-ization entangled Bell states through on-chip quantum interference and quantum superposition,and then coupled to optical fibers.The property of polarization entanglement in generated photon pairs was demonstrated by two-photon interference under two non-orthogonal polarization bases.The output state could be dynamically switched between two Bell states,which was demonstrated by the simplified Bell state measurement.The experiment results indicated that the manipulation speed supported a modulation rate of several tens kHz,showing its potential on applications of quantum communication and quantum information processing requiring Bell state encoding and dynamic control.

High-Q micro-ring resonators and grating couplers for silicon-on-insulator integrated photonic circuits

An ultra-small integrated photonic circuit has been proposed,which incorporates a high-quality-factor passive micro-ring resonator（MR） linked to a vertical grating coupler on a standard silicon-on-insulator（SOI） substrate.The experimental results demonstrate that the MR propagation loss is 0.532 dB/cm with a 10μm radius ring resonator,the intrinsic quality factor is as high as 202.000,the waveguide grating wavelength response curve is a 1 dB bandwidth of 40 nm at 1540 nm telecommunication wavelengths,and the measured fiber-to-fiber coupling loss is 10 dB.Furthermore,the resonator wavelength temperature dependence of the 450 nm wide micro-ring resonator is 54.1 pm/℃.Such vertical grating coupler and low loss MR-integrated components greatly promote a key element in biosensors and high-speed interconnect communication applications.

Photonic circuits written by femtosecond laser in glass:improved fabrication and recent progress in photonic devices

Integrated photonics is attracting considerable attention and has found many applications in both classical and quantum optics,fulfilling the requirements for the ever-growing complexity in modern optical experiments and big data communication.Femtosecond(fs)laser direct writing(FLDW)is an acknowledged technique for producing waveguides(WGs)in transparent glass that have been used to construct complex integrated photonic devices.FLDW possesses unique features,such as three-dimensional fabrication geometry,rapid prototyping,and single step fabrication,which are important for integrated communication devices and quantum photonic and astrophotonic technologies.To fully take advantage of FLDW,considerable efforts have been made to produce WGs over a large depth with low propagation loss,coupling loss,bend loss,and highly symmetrical mode field.We summarize the improved techniques as well as the mechanisms for writing high-performance WGs with controllable morphology of cross-section,highly symmetrical mode field,low loss,and high processing uniformity and efficiency,and discuss the recent progress of WGs in photonic integrated devices for communication,topological physics,quantum information processing,and astrophotonics.Prospective challenges and future research directions in this field are also pointed out.

Hybrid material integration in silicon photonic integrated circuits

Hybrid integration ofⅢ-Ⅴand ferroelectric materials is being broadly adopted to enhance functionalities in silicon photonic integrated circuits(PICs).Bonding and transfer printing have been the popular approaches for integration of III–V gain media with silicon PICs.Similar approaches are also being considered for ferroelectrics to enable larger RF modulation bandwidths,higher linearity,lower optical loss integrated optical modulators on chip.In this paper,we review existing integration strategies ofⅢ-Ⅴmaterials and present a route towards hybrid integration of bothⅢ-Ⅴand ferroelectrics on the same chip.We show that adiabatic transformation of the optical mode between hybrid ferroelectric and silicon sections enables efficient transfer of optical modal energies for maximum overlap of the optical mode with the ferroelectric media,similar to approaches adopted to maximize optical overlap with the gain section,thereby reducing lasing thresholds for hybridⅢ-Ⅴintegration with silicon PICs.Preliminary designs are presented to enable a foundry compatible hybrid integration route of diverse functionalities on silicon PICs.

Low-loss chip-scale programmable silicon photonic processor

Chip-scale programmable optical signal processors are often used to flexibly manipulate the optical signals for satisfying the demands in various applications,such as lidar,radar,and artificial intelligence.Silicon photonics has unique advantages of ultra-high integration density as well as CMOS compatibility,and thus makes it possible to develop large-scale programmable optical signal processors.The challenge is the high silicon waveguides propagation losses and the high calibration complexity for all tuning elements due to the random phase errors.In this paper,we propose and demonstrate a programmable silicon photonic processor for the first time by introducing low-loss multimode photonic waveguide spirals and low-random-phase-error Mach-Zehnder switches.The present chip-scale programmable silicon photonic processor comprises a 1×4 variable power splitter based on cascaded Mach-Zehnder couplers(MZCs),four Ge/Si photodetectors,four channels of thermally-tunable optical delaylines.Each channel consists of a continuously-tuning phase shifter based on a waveguide spiral with a micro-heater and a digitally-tuning delayline realized with cascaded waveguide-spiral delaylines and MZSs for 5.68 ps time-delay step.Particularly,these waveguide spirals used here are designed to be as wide as 2μm,enabling an ultralow propagation loss of 0.28 dB/cm.Meanwhile,these MZCs and MZSs are designed with 2-μm-wide arm waveguides,and thus the random phase errors in the MZC/MZS arms are negligible,in which case the calibration for these MZSs/MZCs becomes easy and furthermore the power consumption for compensating the phase errors can be reduced greatly.Finally,this programmable silicon photonic processor is demonstrated successfully to verify a number of distinctively different functionalities,including tunable time-delay,microwave photonic beamforming,arbitrary optical signal filtering,and arbitrary waveform generation.

Digital synthesis of programmable photonic integrated circuits

Programmable photonic waveguide meshes can be programmed into many different circuit topologies and thereby provide a variety of functions.Due to the complexity of the signal routing in a general mesh,a particular synthesis algorithm often only accounts for a specific function with a specific cell configuration.In this paper,we try to synthesize the programmable waveguide mesh to support multiple configurations with a more general digital signal processing platform.To show the feasibility of this technique,photonic waveguide meshes in different configurations(square,triangular and hexagonal meshes)are designed to realize optical signal interleaving with arbitrary duty cycles.The digital signal processing(DSP)approach offers an effective pathway for the establishment of a general design platform for the software-defined programmable photonic integrated circuits.The use of well-developed DSP techniques and algorithms establishes a link between optical and electrical signals and makes it convenient to realize the computer-aided design of optics–electronics hybrid systems.

Gigahertz-rate-switchable wavefront shaping through integration of metasurfaces with photonic integrated circuit

Achieving spatiotemporal control of light at high speeds presents immense possibilities for various applications in communication,computation,metrology,and sensing.The integration of subwavelength metasurfaces and optical waveguides offers a promising approach to manipulate light across multiple degrees of freedom at high speed in compact photonic integrated circuit(PIC)devices.Here,we demonstrate a gigahertz-rate-switchable wavefront shaping by integrating metasurface,lithium niobate on insulator photonic waveguides,and electrodes within a PIC device.As proofs of concept,we showcase the generation of a focus beam with reconfigurable arbitrary polarizations,switchable focusing with lateral focal positions and focal length,orbital angular momentum light beams as well as Bessel beams.Our measurements indicate modulation speeds of up to the gigahertz rate.This integrated platform offers a versatile and efficient means of controlling the light field at high speed within a compact system,paving the way for potential applications in optical communication,computation,sensing,and imaging.

Effective integration of highly-efficient focusing apodized grating and quantum dots on a solid substrate for scalable quantum photonic circuits

Recent advancements in quantum photonic circuits have significantly influenced the field of quantum information processing.The pursuit of an integrated quantum photonic circuit that offers an active,stable platform for large-scale integration and high processing efficiency remains a key objective.The grating coupler,as a crucial element for an efficient transformation output interface in the integrated quantum photonic circuits,presents significant potential for practical applications.Here,we demonstrate the integration block of a highly efficient shallow-etched focusing apodized grating coupler with indium arsenide(InAs)quantum dots(QDs)in gallium arsenide(GaAs)on a SiO2substrate for active quantum photonic circuits.The designed grating couplers possess a high efficiency over 90% in the broadband(900-930 nm)from the circuit to free space,and a nearly-perfect match with the fiber mode.Experimentally,the efficiency to free space reaches 81.8%,and the match degree with the fiber mode is high up to 92.1%.The proposed integration block offers the potential for large-scale integration of active quantum photonic circuits due to its stable solid substrate and highly performant output for quantum measurements.

Avalanche photodiodes on silicon photonics

Silicon photonics technology has drawn significant interest due to its potential for compact and high-performance photonic integrated circuits.The Ge-or III-V material-based avalanche photodiodes integrated on silicon photonics provide ideal high sensitivity optical receivers for telecommunication wavelengths.Herein,the last advances of monolithic and hetero-geneous avalanche photodiodes on silicon are reviewed,including different device structures and semiconductor systems.

Two-dimensional materials in photonic integrated circuits:recent developments and future perspectives[Invited]

The heterogeneous integration of photonic integrated circuits(PICs)with a diverse range of optoelectronic materials has emerged as a transformative approach,propelling photonic chips toward larger scales,superior performance,and advanced integration levels.Notably,two-dimensional(2D)materials,such as graphene,transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs),black phosphorus(BP),and hexagonal boron nitride(hBN),exhibit remarkable device performance and integration capabilities,offering promising potential for large-scale implementation in PICs.In this paper,we first present a comprehensive review of recent progress,systematically categorizing the integration of photonic circuits with 2D materials based on their types while also emphasizing their unique advantages.Then,we discuss the integration approaches of 2D materials with PICs.We also summarize the technical challenges in the heterogeneous integration of 2D materials in photonics and envision their immense potential for future applications in PICs.

Latest advances in high-performance light sources and optical amplifiers on silicon

Efficient light generation and amplification has long been missing on the silicon platform due to its well-known indirect bandgap nature.Driven by the size,weight,power and cost(SWaP-C)requirements,the desire to fully realize integrated silicon electronic and photonic integrated circuits has greatly pushed the effort of realizing high performance on-chip lasers and amplifiers moving forward.Several approaches have been proposed and demonstrated to address this issue.In this paper,a brief overview of recent progress of the high-performance lasers and amplifiers on Si based on different technology is presented.Representative device demonstrations,including ultra-narrow linewidthⅢ-Ⅴ/Si lasers,fully integratedⅢ-Ⅴ/Si/Si3N4 lasers,high-channel count mode locked quantum dot(QD)lasers,and high gain QD amplifiers will be covered.

High-efficiency focusing grating coupler with optimized ultra-short taper

A novel high-efficiency focusing non-uniform grating coupler is proposed to couple light into or off silicon photonic chips for large-scale silicon photonic integration. This kind of grating coupler decreases the transition length of the linking taper between the grating and the single-mode waveguide by at least 80%. The radian of the grating lines and the size of the taper are optimized to improve the coupling efficiency. An experimental coupling efficiency of ~ 68% at 1556.24 nm is obtained after optimization and the whole size of the grating is 12 μm × 30 μm, with a very short taper transition of ~15 μm long.

Semi-vectorial analysis of a compact wavelength demultiplexer based on the tapered multimode interference coupler

Based on a parabolically tapered multimode interference （MMI） coupler with a deep-etched SiO2/SiON rib waveguide, a compact wavelength demultiplexer operating at 1.30 and 1.55 μm wavelengths is proposed and analysed by using three-dimensional semi-vectorial finite-difference beam propagation method （3D-SV-FD-BPM）. The results show that a MMI section of 330.0 μm in length, which is only 76% length of a straight MMI coupler, is achieved with the contrasts of 42.3 and 39.2dB in quasi-TE mode, and 38.4 and 37.8dB in quasi-TM mode at wavelengths 1.30 and 1.55μm, respectively, and the insertion losses below 0.2dB at both wavelengths and in both polarization states, The alternating direction implicit algorithm with the Crank-Nicholson scheme is applied to the discretization of the 3D-SV-FD-BPM formulation along the longitudinal direction. Moreover, a modified FD scheme is constructed to approximate the resulting equations along the transverse directions, in which the discontinuities of the derivatives of magnetic field components Hy and Hx along the vertical and horizontal interfaces, respectively, are involved.

Rainbow trapping based on long-range plasmonic Bragg gratings at telecom frequencies

The group velocity of long-range surface plasmon polaritons （LRSPPs） in a wide frequency bandwidth at infrared frequencies is significantly reduced by dielectric gratings of graded thickness on both sides of a thin metal film. This structure can reduce the propagation loss of slow surface plasmons in ＂rainbow trapping＂ systems based on plasmonic Bragg gratings. Compared with dielectric gratings of graded thickness on a single side of a metal film, the proposed structure is able to guide slow light with a much longer propagation distance for the same group index factor. Finite- difference time-domain simulation results show that slow LRSPPs with the group velocity of c/14.5 and the propagation distance of 10.4 μm are achieved in dielectric gratings of uniform thickness on both sides of a thin metal film at 1.62 μm.

Tunable optical filter using second-order micro-ring resonator

In this paper, we design and fabricate a silicon integrated optical filter consisting of two cascaded micro-ring resonators and two straight waveguides. Two micro-heaters are fabricated on the top of two micro-rings respectively, which are employed to modulate the micro-rings to perform the function of a tunable optical filter by the thermo–optic effect. The static response test indicates that the extinction ratio and 3-d B bandwidth are 29.01 d B and 0.21 nm respectively, the dynamic response test indicates that the 10%–90% rise and 90%–10% fall time of the filter are 16 μs and 12 μs, respectively,which can meet the requirements of optical communication and information processing. Finally, the power consumption of the device is also characterized, and the total power consumption is about 9.43 m W/nm, which has been improved efficiently.

Effect of unbalanced and common losses in quantum photonic integrated circuits

Loss is inevitable for the optical system due to the absorption of materials, scattering caused by the defects, and surface roughness. In quantum optical circuits, the loss can not only reduce the intensity of the signal, but also affect the performance of quantum operations. In this work, we divide losses into unbalanced linear losses and shared common losses, and provide a detailed analysis on how loss affects the integrated linear optical quantum gates. It is found that the orthogonality of eigenmodes and the unitary phase relation of the coupled waveguide modes are destroyed by the loss. As a result, the fidelity of single-and two-qubit operations decreases significantly as the shared loss becomes comparable to the coupling strength. Our results are important for the investigation of large-scale photonic integrated quantum information processes.

Regrowth-Free Processing for GaAs and InP Photonic Integrated Circuits

Technologies are described for integrating multiple bandgaps and photonic crystal structures monolithically in a semiconductor chip. Practical devices examples include high power 980 nm pumps, 2×2 crosspoint switches and lasers modelocked at THz frequencies.