Aitor V. Velasco

Ultracompact polarization converter with a dual subwavelength trench built in a silicon-on-insulator waveguide.

The design and fabrication of an ultracompact silicon-on-insulator polarization converter is reported. The polarization conversion with an extinction ratio of 16 dB is achieved for a conversion length of only 10 μm. Polarization rotation is achieved by inducing a vertical asymmetry by forming in the waveguide core two subwavelength trenches of different depths. By taking advantage of the calibrated reactive ion etch lag, the two depths are implemented using a single mask and etching process. The measured converter loss is -0.7 dB and the 3 dB bandwidth is 26 nm.

High-resolution Fourier-transform spectrometer chip with microphotonic silicon spiral waveguides

We report a stationary Fourier-transform spectrometer chip implemented in silicon microphotonic waveguides. The device comprises an array of 32 Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) with linearly increasing optical path delays between the MZI arms across the array. The optical delays are achieved by using Si-wire waveguides arranged in tightly coiled spirals with a compact device footprint of 12 mm2. Spectral retrieval is demonstrated in a single measurement of the stationary spatial interferogram formed at the output waveguides of the array, with a wavelength resolution of 40 pm within a free spectral range of 0.75 nm. The phase and amplitude errors arising from fabrication imperfections are compensated using a transformation matrix spectral retrieval algorithm.

Mid-Infrared Silicon-on-Insulator Fourier-Transform Spectrometer Chip

Mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy is highly relevant for a wide range of sensing applications. In this letter, we demonstrate a Fourier-transform spectrometer chip based on the principle of spatial heterodyning implemented in the silicon-on-insulator waveguide platform, and operating near 3.75-μm wavelength. The spectrometer comprises a waveguide splitting tree feeding to an array of 42 Mach-Zehnder interferometers with linearly increasing optical path length differences. A spectral retrieval algorithm based on calibration matrices is applied to the stationary output pattern of the array, compensating for any phase and amplitude errors arising from fabrication imperfections. A spectral resolution below 3 nm is experimentally demonstrated.

Demonstration of a curved sidewall grating demultiplexer on silicon.

We experimentally demonstrate a new type of waveguide multiplexer device designed for silicon photonics, with a crosstalk level as low as -35 dB and an operational wavelength range of 300 nm. A compact device footprint of only 100 × 160 µm2 offers an excellent potential for integration with other silicon nanophotonic circuits.

Optical fiber interferometer array for scanless Fourier-transform spectroscopy

We report a spatial heterodyne Fourier-transform spectrometer implemented with an array of optical fiber interferometers. This configuration generates a wavelength-dependent stationary interferogram from which the input spectrum is retrieved in a single shot without scanning elements. Furthermore, fabrication and experimental deviations from the ideal behavior of the device are corrected by spectral inversion algorithms. The spectral resolution of our system can be readily scaled up by incorporating longer optical fiber delays, providing a pathway toward surpassing current spectroscopy resolution limits.

Demonstration of a compressive-sensing Fourier-transform on-chip spectrometer

We demonstrate compressive-sensing (CS) spectroscopy in a planar-waveguide Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) device. The spectrometer is implemented as an array of Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) integrated on a photonic chip. The signal from a set of MZIs is composed of an undersampled discrete Fourier interferogram, which we invert using l1-norm minimization to retrieve a sparse input spectrum. To implement this technique, we use a subwavelength-engineered spatial heterodyne FTS on a chip composed of 32 independent MZIs. We demonstrate the retrieval of three sparse input signals by collecting data from restricted sets (8 and 14) of MZIs and applying common CS reconstruction techniques to this data. We show that this retrieval maintains the full resolution and bandwidth of the original device, despite a sampling factor as low as one-fourth of a conventional (non-compressive) design.

Photopolymerizable organically modified holographic glass with enhanced thickness for spectral filters

A novel formulation and synthesis method to overcome the thickness limitations in samples of photopolymerizable glasses with high refractive index species is presented. The reported method allows the recording of volume holographic diffraction gratings in samples of ∼500 μm thickness with a high optical quality and low scattering. Holographic grating recording is performed in a single coherent light exposure step, resulting in volume gratings of high optical quality. A holographic notch filter implemented in a 500 μm thick photopolymerizable glass with a spectral bandwidth below 0.3 nm and an excellent filter extinction ratio of <−27 dB is also demonstrated.

Photopolymerizable glasses incorporating high refractive index species and ionic liquid: A comparative study

Three different holographic photomaterials belonging to the class of photopolymerizable glasses have been synthesized using sol-gel techniques, and characterized with the purpose of a comparative study. Their behavior is analyzed in terms of achieved refractive index modulation, dark diffusion mechanism, diffraction efficiency and optical quality; in order to determine their suitability for different holographic applications.

Fibre optics wavemeters calibration using a self-referenced optical frequency comb

Self-referenced optical frequency combs enable the measurement of optical frequencies with a very high accuracy, achieving uncertainties close to the atomic clock used as reference (<10(-13) s). In this paper, we present the technique for the measurement of laser frequencies for optical communications followed at IO-CSIC and its application to the calibration of two wavemeters in the 1.5 μm optical communication window. Calibration uncertainties down to 12 MHz and 59 MHz were obtained, respectively, for each of the devices. Furthermore, the long-term behaviour of the higher resolution wavemeter was studied during a 750 h period of sustained operation, exhibiting a dispersion in the measurements of 7.72 MHz. Temperature dependence of the device was analysed, enabling to further reduce dispersion down to a 2.15 MHz range, with no significant temporal deviations.

Spatial Heterodyne Fourier-Transform Waveguide Spectrometers

Abstract Overcoming current resolution limits of optical spectroscopy could revolutionize research in diverse fields such as atomic and molecular spectroscopy, bio-chemistry, and astronomy. In this chapter, we explore the opportunities opened by spatial heterodyne Fourier-transform spectroscopy, presenting both its early bulk-optics implementations and its latest applications in waveguide optics and silicon photonics. Spatial heterodyne Fourier-transform spectrometers provide a plurality of simultaneous interferometric measurements, from which the source spectrum is retrieved in a single capture. Independent access to each interferometric measurement enables spectral retrieval algorithms to correct fabrication and experimental deviations from ideal behavior without any hardware modifications. Furthermore, the straightforward scalability of these devices represents a significant milestone toward pushing current resolution boundaries of stationary spectroscopy.