Optimization of Plasma Etching Parameters and Mask for Silica Optical Waveguides

Optical waveguides in silica-on-silicon are one of the key elements in optical communications.The processes of deep etching silica waveguides using resist and metal masks in RIE plasma are investigated.The etching responses,including etching rate and selectivity as functions of variation of parameters,are modeled with a 3D neural network.A novel resist/metal combined mask that can overcome the single-layer masks’ limitations is developed for enhancing the waveguides deep etching and low-loss optical waveguides are fabricated at last.

Full-vectorial analysis of optical waveguides by the finite difference method based on polynomial interpolation

Based on the polynomial interpolation, a new finite difference （FD） method in solving the full-vectorial guidedmodes for step-index optical waveguides is proposed. The discontinuities of the normal components of the electric field across abrupt dielectric interfaces are considered in the absence of the limitations of scalar and semivectorial approximation, and the present PD scheme can be applied to both uniform and non-uniform mesh grids. The modal propagation constants and field distributions for buried rectangular waveguides and optical rib waveguides are presented. The hybrid nature of the vectorial modes is demonstrated and the singular behaviours of the minor field components in the corners are observed. Moreover, solutions are in good agreement with those published early, which tests the validity of the present approach.

FLUORINATED PHTHALAZINONE-CONTAINING COPOLYIMIDES FOR PASSIVE OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES

A series of fluorinated copolyimides containing phthalazinone moieties were prepared from 2,2-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride(6FDA),3,3'4,4'-benzophenone-tetracarboxylic dianhydride(BPDA)and2-(4-aminophenyl)-4-[4-(4-aminophenoxyl)phenyl]-2,3-phthalazin-1-one(DHPZ-2NH_2)for making polymeric opticalwaveguides.The resulting copolymers containing 0-50 mo1% BPDA/DHPZ-2NH_2 show good solubility and are soluble insome organic polar aprotic solvents.The copolyimides also present excellent thermal stability.These polymers possess highglass transition temperature higher than 603 K and high decomposition temperature above 742 K determined by differentialscanning calorimetry and thennogravimetric analysis,respectively,under a nitrogen atmosphere.Their refractive indicescould be controlled by varying the ratio of 6FDA and BPDA in the copolymer from 0.5 to 1.0,and the in-plane refractiveindices(n_(TE))range from 1.6366 to 1.6668 and the out-of-plane refractive indices(n_(TM))from 1.6024 to 1.6280 at 632.8 nm.The polymers birefringence(0.0342-0.0388)is almost independent of the 6FDA content of copolymer,which indicated thatthe phthalazinone-containing copolyimides could be suitable to fabricate optical waveguides possessing a low polarizationdependent loss(PDL).

Mode-field half-widths of Gaussian approximation for the fundamental mode of two kinds of optical waveguides

This paper analyzes the characteristic of matching efficiency between the fundamental mode of two kinds of optical waveguides and its Gaussian approximate field.Then, it presents a new method where the mode-field half-width of Caussian approximation for the fundamental mode should be defined according to the maximal matching efficiency method. The relationship between the mode-field half-width of the Gaussian approximate field obtained from the maximal matching efficiency and normalized frequency is studied; furthermore, two formulas of mode-field half-widths as a function of normalized frequency are proposed.

Optical soliton with group delay in microring coupled-resonator optical waveguides

This paper derives the dispersion relation of microring coupled-resonator optical waveguides （CROWs） without any approximation by using the transfer matrix method. Based on the established dispersion relation of CROWs it obtains the slow group velocity and dispersion coefficient. It finds that the effect Of dispersion on optical pulses can be adjusted to balance the effect of nonlinearity by changing coupling coefficient or loss, so optical soliton with group delay can be obtained in microring CROWs. The optical soliton with group delay is of great significance for applications of microring CROWs in delay lines and optical buffers of future all-optical communication systems.

Loss Measurements on Polymer Thin Film Optical Waveguides

A simple setup for the measurement of transmission loss in polymer thin film optical waveguides is described. A new electro-optic polymer film has been prepared. The transmission loss of the film is measured before and after corona poling. And the loss is determined to be 1.84 dB/cm and 2.14 dB/cm, respectively.

Highly efficient room temperature phosphorescent liquid crystalline polymer optical waveguides for advanced optoelectronics

Active organic optical waveguide materials(OOWMs)incorporating room temperature phosphorescence(RTP)hold significant promise for diverse applications in photonic and optoelectronic devices.Despite this potential,realizing active RTP optical waveguides with large-sized ordered structures and minimal light loss remains a formidable challenge.To address this issue,we present a groundbreaking thermoplastic active OOWM with low light loss,leveraging room temperature phosphorescent liquid crystalline polymer(LCP).This innovative material can be easily synthesized through the copolymerization of phosphorescent and liquid crystalline monomers.The resulting RTP copolymer exhibits a nematic liquid crystal phase with a phosphorescence lifetime of approximately 0.15 ms and an afterglow duration of around 1 second.Leveraging the excellent processability of LCP,we successfully produce meter-scale fibers via melt spinning.These RTP LCP fibers,characterized by a high orientation of mesogens along the fiber axis,demonstrate superior light confinement and efficient light conduction compared to unoriented samples,resulting in a low optical loss coefficient of 0.13 dB/mm.Furthermore,the thermal responsiveness of the RTP LCP optical waveguide enables its use as a photo switch.This pioneering work paves the way for the design of new OOWMs tailored for advanced photonics and optoelectronics devices.

Femtosecond laser-inscribed optical waveguides in dielectric crystals:a concise review and recent advances

Femtosecond laser inscription or writing has been recognized as a powerful technique to engineer various materials toward a number of applications.By efficient modification of refractive indices of dielectric crystals,optical waveguides with diverse configurations have been produced by femtosecond laser writing.The waveguiding properties depend not only on the parameters of the laser writing but also on the nature of the crystals.The mode profile tailoring and polarization engineering are realizable by selecting appropriate fabrication conditions.In addition,regardless of the complexity of crystal refractive index changes induced by ultrafast pulses,several three-dimensional geometries have been designed and implemented that are useful for the fabrication of laser-written photonic chips.Some intriguing devices,e.g.,waveguide lasers,wavelength converters,and quantum memories,have been made,exhibiting potential for applications in various areas.Our work gives a concise review of the femtosecond laser-inscribed waveguides in dielectric crystals and focuses on the recent advances of this research area,including the fundamentals,fabrication,and selected photonic applications.

Some Techniques for Computing Wave Propagation in Optical Waveguides

Optical wave-guiding structures that are non-uniform in the propagation direction are fundamental building blocks of integrated optical circuits.Numerical simulation of lightwaves propagating in these structures is an essential tool to engineers designing photonic components.In this paper,we review recent developments in the most widely used simulation methods for frequency domain propagation problems.

Optical Waveguides from Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials

Organic/inorganic material has attracted great attentions because its importance as photonic materials. We report on our recent results on organic/inorganic hybrid sol-gel materials and optical waveguides like splitter, thermo-optic switch and micro-cavity laser.

Preparation and characterization of SiO_2/TiO_2/methylcellulose hybrid thick films for optical waveguides

SiO_2/TiO_2/methylcellulose composite materials processed by the sol-gel technique were studied for optical waveguide applications. With the help of methylcellulose, an organic binder, SiO2/TiO2/methylcellulose hybrid thick films were prepared by a single spin-coating processes. After annealing at 70 °C for an hour, 2.5-μm crack-free and dense organic-inorganic hybrid optical films with a refractive index of 1.537 were achieved. Optical losses of plane waveguide made up of those films and ordinary slide glass substrate are around 0.3 dB/cm at 650 nm. Scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM) and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS), have been used to characterize the thick films.

Hydrogen-bond organized 2D metal–organic microsheets:direct ultralong phosphorescence and color-tunable optical waveguides

Ultralong phosphorescent materials have numerous applications across biological imaging, lightemitting devices, X-ray detection and anti-counterfeiting. Triplet-state molecular phosphorescence typically accompanies the singlet-state fluorescence during photoluminescence, and it is still difficult to achieve direct triplet photoemission as ultralong room temperature phosphorescence(RTP). Here, we have designed Zn-IMDC(IMDC, 4,5-imidazoledicarboxylic acid) and Cd-IMDC, two-dimensional(2D)hydrogen-bond organized metal–organic crystalline microsheets that exhibit rarely direct ultralong RTP upon UV excitation, benefiting from the appropriate heavy-atom effect and multiple triplet energy levels. The excitation-dependent and thermally stimulated ultralong phosphorescence endow the metal–organic systems great opportunities for information safety application and temperature-gated afterglow emission. The well-defined 2D microsheets present color-tunable and anisotropic optical waveguides under different excitation and temperature conditions, providing an effective way to obtain intelligent RTP-based photonic systems at the micro-and nano-scales.

Rational self-assembly of polygonal organic microcrystals for shape-dependent multi-directional 2D optical waveguides

Micro-nano-level photonic waveguide regulation is essential for future on-chip photonic integrated systems and is still of great challenges.We report a molecular design strategy,changing the position of the methyl substituent makes the arrangement of the three isomer molecules different in their respective crystals.Based on this strategy,three sheet-like crystals with different polygonal morphologies were prepared via solution self-assembly approach.The in-depth optical measurements demonstrated that these three microsheet crystals have different 2D optical waveguide performances related to the shapes.Our work provides a feasible design strategy and material preparation method for realizing precise 2D optical waveguide modulation,which lays the foundation for complex photonic integrated systems in the future.

Optical properties of He^(+)-implanted and diamond blade-diced terbium gallium garnet crystal planar and ridge waveguides

Terbium gallium garnet(Tb_(3)Ga_(5)O_(12),TGG)crystal can be used to fabricate various magneto-optical devices due to its optimal Faraday effect.In this work,400-keV He^(+)ions with a fluence of 6.0×10^(16)ions/cm^(2)are irradiated into the TGG crystal for the planar waveguide formation.The precise diamond blade dicing with a rotation speed of 2×10^(4)rpm and a cutting velocity of 0.1 mm/s is performed on the He^(+)-implanted TGG planar waveguide for the ridge structure.The darkmode spectrum of the He^(+)-implanted TGG planar waveguide is measured by the prism-coupling method,thereby obtaining the relationship between the reflected light intensity and the effective refractive index.The refractive index profile of the planar waveguide is reconstructed by the reflectivity calculation method.The near-field light intensity distribution of the planar waveguide and the ridge waveguide are recorded by the end-face coupling method.The He^(+)-implanted and diamond blade-diced TGG crystal planar and ridge waveguides are promising candidates for integrated magneto-optical devices.

Multifunctional flexible optical waveguide sensor: on the bioinspiration for ultrasensitive sensors development

This paper presents the development of a bioinspired multifunctional flexible optical sensor(BioMFOS)as an ultrasensitive tool for force(intensity and location)and orientation sensing.The sensor structure is bioinspired in orb webs,which are multifunctional devices for prey capturing and vibration transmission.The multifunctional feature of the structure is achieved by using transparent resins that present both mechanical and optical properties for structural integrity and strain/deflection transmission as well as the optical signal transmission properties with core/cladding configuration of a waveguide.In this case,photocurable and polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)resins are used for the core and cladding,respectively.The optical transmission,tensile tests,and dynamic mechanical analysis are performed in the resins and show the possibility of light transmission at the visible wavelength range in conjunction with high flexibility and a dynamic range up to 150 Hz,suitable for wearable applications.The BioMFOS has small dimensions(around 2 cm)and lightweight(0.8 g),making it suitable for wearable application and clothing integration.Characterization tests are performed in the structure by means of applying forces at different locations of the structure.The results show an ultra-high sensitivity and resolution,where forces in theμN range can be detected and the location of the applied force can also be detected with a sub-millimeter spatial resolution.Then,the BioMFOS is tested on the orientation detection in 3D plane,where a correlation coefficient higher than 0.9 is obtained when compared with a gold-standard inertial measurement unit(IMU).Furthermore,the device also shows its capabilities on the movement analysis and classification in two protocols:finger position detection(with the BioMFOS positioned on the top of the hand)and trunk orientation assessment(with the sensor integrated on the clothing).In both cases,the sensor is able of classifying the movement,especially when analyzed in conjunction with preprocessing and clustering techniques.As another wearable application,the respiratory rate is successfully estimated with the BioMFOS integrated into the clothing.Thus,the proposed multifunctional device opens new avenues for novel bioinspired photonic devices and can be used in many applications of biomedical,biomechanics,and micro/nanotechnology.

Frequency-tunable single-photon router based on a microresonator containing a driven three-level emitter

We propose a frequency-tunable router of single photons with high routing efficiency, which is constructed by two waveguides mediately linked by a single-mode whispering gallery resonator with a driven three-level emitter. Quantum routing probability in the output port is obtained via the real-space Hamiltonian. By adjusting the resonator–emitter coupling and the drive, the desired continuous central frequencies for the resonance peaks of routing photons can be manipulated nearly linearly, with the assistance of Rabi splitting effect and optical Stark shift. The proposed routing system may provide potential applications in designing other frequency-modulation quantum optical devices, such as multiplexers,filters, and so on.

Single-photon scattering and quantum entanglement of two giant atoms with azimuthal angle differences in a waveguide system

We theoretically investigate coherent scattering of single photons and quantum entanglement of two giant atoms with azimuthal angle differences in a waveguide system.Using the real-space Hamiltonian,analytical expressions are derived for the transport spectra scattered by these two giant atoms with four azimuthal angles.Fano-like resonance can be exhibited in the scattering spectra by adjusting the azimuthal angle difference.High concurrence of the entangled state for two atoms can be implemented in a wide angle-difference range,and the entanglement of the atomic states can be switched on/off by modulating the additional azimuthal angle differences from the giant atoms.This suggests a novel handle to effectively control the single-photon scattering and quantum entanglement.

Progress and realization platforms of dynamic topological photonics

Dynamic topological photonics is a novel research field, combining the time-domain optics and topological physics.In this review, the recent progress and realization platforms of dynamic topological photonics have been well introduced.The definition, measurement methods and the evolution process of the dynamic topological photonics are demonstrated to better understand the physical diagram. This review is meant to bring the readers a different perspective on topological photonics, grasp the advanced progress of dynamic topology, and inspire ideas about future prospects.

Temperature sensor based on polymer thin film optical waveguide

Based on attenuated total reflection （ATR） and thermo-optic effect, the polymeric thin film planar optical waveguide is used as the temperature sensor, and the factors influencing the sensitivity of the temperature sensor are comprehensively analyzed. Combined with theoretical analysis and experimental investigation, the sensitivity of the temperature sensor is related to the thicknesses of the upper cladding layer, the waveguide layer, the optical loss of the polymer material and the guided wave modes. The results show that the slope value about reflectivity and temperature, which stands for the sensitivity of the polymer thin film temperature sensor, is associated with the waveguide film thickness and the guided wave modes, and the slope value is the highest in the zero reflectance of a certain transverse electric （TE） mode. To improve the sensitivity of the temperature sensor, the sensor＇s working incident light exterior angle α should be chosen under a certain TE mode with the reflectivity to be zero. This temperature sensor is characterized by high sensitivity and simple structure and it is easily fabricated.

AN OPTICAL FIBER SENSOR TECHNIQUE BASED ON SLIGHT DISTURBANCE RADIATION LOSS OF STOCHASTIC WALL

This paper presents an optical sensor technique used in the damage evaluation which is formed by structurally integrated fiber optic reticulate sensors embedded in the composite materials. The fibers are processed by chemical method and their outsides are peeled to form particles of irregular distribution and they differ in size, so the slight disturbance range of stochastic wall are formed in fibers. According to the characteristics of power loss of waveguide mode caused by slight disturbance of stochastic wall and radiative mode transmission, the range of slight disturbance of stochastic wall may be served as the sensitive range of the sensor. On the basis of theory of slight disturbance of stochastic wall of planar optical waveguide, the relation between the corrosion time and the opposite power loss by experiments is investigated. In this paper, the measurement results of object of SIFORS are also presented. The results show that the optical sensor technique may be used in the damage evaluation of an aircraft.