Adriana Passaseo

Triple-helical nanowires by tomographic rotatory growth for chiral photonics

Three dimensional (3D) helical chiral metamaterials resulted effective in manipulating circularly polarized light in the visible-infrared for advanced nano-photonics. Their potentialities are severely limited by the lack of full rotational symmetry preventing broadband operation, high signal-to-noise ratio, and inducing high optical activity sensitivity to structure orientation. Complex intertwined 3D structures like Multiple-Helical Nanowires could overcome these limitations, allowing the achievement of several chiro-optical effects combining chirality and isotropy. Here we report 3D triple-helical nanowires, engineered by the innovative Tomographic Rotatory Growth, based on Focused Ion Beam Induced Deposition. These three dimensional nanostructures show up to 37% of circular dichroism in a broad range (500-1000 nm), with a high signal-to-noise ratio (up to 24 dB). Optical activity up to 8° only due to the circular birefringence is also shown, tracing the way towards chiral photonic devices which can be integrated in optical nanocircuits to modulate the visible light polarization.

Optical filter based on two coupled PhC GaAs-membranes

We demonstrate an ultracompact optical filter based on two coupled high-index contrast GaAs photonic crystal (PhC) membranes. The PhC membranes consist of a square lattice of air holes and behave as a Fabry-Perot cavity whose reflectivity and transmissivity depend on the air gap between the two membranes. The normal-incidence reflectance measurements and the numerical simulation of reflection spectra show a high sensitivity to the geometrical parameters, such as the distance between the slabs, whose control would make the device suitable for a new class of tunable optical filters.

Electroluminescence and Transmission Electron Microscopy Characterization of Reverse-Biased AlGaN/GaN Devices

Reverse-bias stress testing has been applied to a large set of more than 50 AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors, which were fabricated using the same process but with different values of the AlN mole fraction and the AlGaN barrier-layer thickness, as well as different substrates (SiC and sapphire). Two sets of devices having different defect types and densities, related to the different growth conditions and the choice of nucleation layer, were also compared. When subjected to gate-drain (or gate-to-drain and source short-circuited) reverse-bias testing, all devices presented the same time-dependent failure mode, consisting of a significant increase in the gate leakage current. This failure mechanism occurred abruptly during step-stress experiments when a certain negative gate voltage, or “critical voltage,” was exceeded or, during constant voltage tests, at a certain time, defined as “time to breakdown.” Electroluminescence (EL) microscopy was systematically used to identify localized damaged areas that induced an increase of gate reverse current. This current increase was correlated with the increase of EL intensity, and significant EL emission during tests occurred only when the critical voltage was exceeded. Focused-ion-beam milling produced cross-sectional samples suitable for electron microscopy observation at the sites of failure points previously identified by EL microscopy. In high-defectivity devices, V-defects were identified that were associated with initially high gate leakage current and corresponding to EL spots already present in untreated devices. Conversely, identification of defects induced by reverse-bias testing proved to be extremely difficult, and only nanometer-size cracks or defect chains, extending vertically from the gate edges through the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction, were found. No signs of metal/semiconductor interdiffusion or extended defective areas were visible. The weak dependence on AlGaN properties, the strong process dependence, the time dependence, and the features of the localized damage identified by EL and electron microscopy suggest a multistep failure mechanism initiated by a process-induced weakness of the gate Schottky junction, which enhances current injection into pre-existing defects. As a result, further defects are generated or activated, eventually resulting in a percolation conductive path and permanent damage. A low-impedance path between the device gate and the channel is formed, increasing gate leakage current and possibly resulting in device burnout.

Freestanding piezoelectric rings for high efficiency energy harvesting at low frequency

Energy harvesting at low frequency is a challenge for microelectromechanical systems. In this work we present a piezoelectric vibration energy harvester based on freestanding molybdenum (Mo) and aluminum nitride (AlN) ring-microelectromechanical-system (RMEMS) resonators. The freestanding ring layout has high energy efficiency due to the additional torsional modes which are absent in planar cantilevers systems. The realized RMEMS prototypes show very low resonance frequencies without adding proof masses, providing the record high power density of 30.20 μW mm−3 at 64 Hz with an acceleration of 2g. The power density refers to the volume of the vibrating RMEMS layout.

Second-harmonic generation in reflection and diffraction by a GaAs photonic-crystal waveguide

Nonlinear reflection and diffraction measurements have been performed on a GaAs/AlGaAs photonic-crystal waveguide patterned with a square lattice: The basis in the two-dimensional unit cell consists of rings of air in the dielectric matrix. The measured angles of diffracted second-harmonic beams agree with those predicted for nonlinear diffraction conditions. Results for second-harmonic intensities as a function of incidence angle, polarization, and pump wavelength show that the reflected second-harmonic signal is dominated by the crystalline symmetry of GaAs, whereas nonlinear diffraction is determined by the photonic-crystal structure.

Phase-locked mutually coupled 1.3 μm quantum-dot lasers

Fabry-Perot InAs quantum-dot lasers grown on GaAs substrates are mutually coupled with a delay of several nanoseconds. Stable phase-locked output with narrow linewidth is obtained when the frequency detuning between the two lasers is less than 4 GHz. This simple locking scheme could find application in a variety of photonics applications.

Programmable Extreme Chirality in the Visible by Helix-Shaped Metamaterial Platform

The capability to fully control the chiro-optical properties of metamaterials in the visible range enables a number of applications from integrated photonics to life science. To achieve this goal, a simultaneous control over complex spatial and localized structuring as well as material composition at the nanoscale is required. Here, we demonstrate how circular dichroic bands and optical rotation can be effectively and independently tailored throughout the visible regime as a function of the fundamental meta-atoms properties and of their three dimensional architecture in a the helix-shaped metamaterials. The record chiro-optical effects obtained in the visible range are accompanied by an additional control over optical efficiency, even in the plasmonic context. These achievements pave the way toward fully integrated chiral photonic devices.

Mapping the nonlinear optical susceptibility by noncollinear second-harmonic generation.

We present a method, based on noncollinear second-harmonic generation, to evaluate the nonzero elements of the nonlinear optical susceptibility. At a fixed incidence angle, the generated signal is investigated by varying the polarization state of both fundamental beams. The resulting polarization charts allows us to verify if Kleinmans symmetry rules can be applied to a given material or to retrieve the absolute value of the nonlinear optical tensor terms, from a reference measurement. Experimental measurements obtained from gallium nitride layers are reported. The proposed method does not require an angular scan and thus is useful when the generated signal is strongly affected by sample rotation.

The polarization response in InAs quantum dots: theoretical correlation between composition and electronic properties

III-V growth and surface conditions strongly influence the physical structure and resulting optical properties of self-assembled quantum dots (QDs). Beyond the design of a desired active optical wavelength, the polarization response of QDs is of particular interest for optical communications and quantum information science. Previous theoretical studies based on a pure InAs QD model failed to reproduce experimentally observed polarization properties. In this work, multi-million atom simulations are performed in an effort to understand the correlation between chemical composition and polarization properties of QDs. A systematic analysis of QD structural parameters leads us to propose a two-layer composition model, mimicking In segregation and In-Ga intermixing effects. This model, consistent with mostly accepted compositional findings, allows us to accurately fit the experimental PL spectra. The detailed study of QD morphology parameters presented here serves as a tool for using growth dynamics to engineer the strain field inside and around the QD structures, allowing tuning of the polarization response.

Direct quantitative measurement of compositional enrichment and variations in InyGa1−yAs quantum dots

Assessment of the composition of quantum dots on the nanoscale is crucial for a deeper understanding of both the growth mechanisms and the properties of these materials. In this letter, we discuss a direct method to obtain a quantitative evaluation of the In variation across nanometer-sized InGaAs quantum dots embedded in a GaAs matrix, by means of electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope.