Atilla Aydinli

A compact silicon-on-insulator polarization splitter

A compact directional coupler-based polarization splitter is designed and realized using silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides. Even though silicon does not have any material birefringence, the high index contrast obtained in the SOI platform and reduced waveguide dimensions makes it possible to induce significant birefringence. Polarization splitting is achieved by making use of this geometry-induced birefringence. In this work, we demonstrate polarization splitting in devices as short as 120 /spl mu/m. Even smaller devices can be made using submicron-thick Si waveguides.

Tunable surface plasmon resonance on an elastomeric substrate

In this study, we demonstrate that periods of metallic gratings on elastomeric substrates can be tuned with external strain and hence are found to control the resonance condition of surface plasmon polaritons. We have excited the plasmon resonance on the elastomeric grating coated with gold and silver. The grating period is increased up to 25% by applying an external mechanical strain. The tunability of the elastomeric substrate provides the opportunity to use such gratings as efficient surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrates. Its been demonstrated that the Raman signal can be maximized by applying an external mechanical strain to the elastomeric grating.

High-Q silicon-on-insulator optical rib waveguide racetrack resonators

In this work, detailed design and realization of high quality factor (Q) racetrack resonators based on silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides are presented. Aiming to achieve critical coupling, suitable waveguide geometry is determined after extensive numerical studies of bending loss. The final design is obtained after coupling factor calculations and estimation of propagation loss. Resonators with quality factors (Q) as high as 119000 has been achieved, the highest Q value for resonators based on silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides to date with extinction ratios as large as 12 dB.

Prism coupling technique investigation of elasto-optical properties of thin polymer films

The use of thin polymer films in optical planar integrated optical circuits is rapidly increasing. Much interest, therefore, has been devoted to characterizing the optical and mechanical properties of thin polymer films. This study focuses on measuring the elasto-optical properties of three different polymers; polystyrene, polymethyl-methacrylate, and benzocyclobutane. The out-of-plane elastic modulus, refractive index, film thickness, and birefringence of thin polymer films were determined by means of the prism coupling technique. The effect of the applied stress on the refractive index and birefringence of the films was investigated. Three-dimensional finite element method analysis was used so as to obtain the principal stresses for each polymer system, and combining them with the stress dependent refractive index measurements, the elasto-optic coefficients of the polymer films were determined. It was found that the applied stress in the out-of-plane direction of the thin films investigated leads to negative elasto-optic coefficients, as observed for all the three thin polymer films.

Plasmonic band gap structures for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on biharmonic metallic grating structures was studied. Biharmonic metallic gratings include two different grating components, one acting as a coupler to excite surface plasmon polaritons (SPP), and the other forming a plasmonic band gap for the propagating SPPs. In the vicinity of the band edges, localized surface plasmons are formed. These localized plasmons strongly enhance the scattering efficiency of the Raman signal emitted on the metallic grating surfaces. It was shown that reproducible Raman scattering enhancement factors of over 10(5) can be achieved by fabricating biharmonic SERS templates using soft nano-imprint technique. We have shown that the SERS activities from these templates are tunable as a function of plasmonic resonance conditions. Similar enhancement factors were also measured for directional emission of photoluminescence. At the wavelengths of the plasmonic absorption peak, directional enhancement by a factor of 30 was deduced for photoluminescence measurements.

Low-power thermooptical tuning of SOI resonator switch

A wavelength selective optical switch is developed based on a high-Q racetrack resonator making use of the large thermooptic coefficient of silicon. The racetrack resonator was fabricated using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) single-mode rib waveguide. The resonator shows a high Q factor of 38 000 with spectral sidelobes of 11 dB down and can be thermooptically scanned over its full free-spectral range applying only 57 mW of electrical power. A low power of 17 mW is enough to tune the device from resonance to off-resonance state. The device functions as a wavelength selective optical switch with a 3-dB cutoff frequency of 210 kHz.

Formation of silicon nanocrystals in sapphire by ion implantation and the origin of visible photoluminescence

Silicon nanocrystals, average sizes ranging between 3 and 7 nm, were formed in sapphire matrix by ion implantation and subsequent annealing. Evolution of the nanocrystals was detected by Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction XRD. Raman spectra display that clusters in the matrix start to form nanocrystalline structures at annealing temperatures as low as 800 ° C in samples with high dose Si implantation. The onset temperature of crystallization increases with decreasing dose. Raman spectroscopy and XRD reveal gradual transformation of Si clusters into crystalline form. Visible photoluminescence band appears following implantation and its intensity increases with subsequent annealing process. While the center of the peak does not shift, the intensity of the peak decreases with increasing dose. The origin of the observed photoluminescence is discussed in terms of radiation induced defects in the sapphire matrix.

Donor–acceptor pair recombination in gallium sulfide

Low temperature photoluminescence of GaS single crystals shows three broad emission bands below 2.4 eV. Temperature and excitation light intensity dependencies of these bands reveal that all of them originate from close donor–acceptor pair recombination processes. Temperature dependence of the peak energies of two of these bands in the visible range follow, as expected, the band gap energy shift of GaS. However, the temperature dependence of the peak energy of the third band in the near infrared shows complex behavior by blueshifting at low temperatures followed by a redshift at intermediate temperatures and a second blueshift close to room temperature, which could only be explained via a configuration coordinate model. A simple model calculation indicates that the recombination centers are most likely located at the nearest neighbor lattice or interstitial sites.

Donor-acceptor pair recombination in AgIn5S8 single crystals

Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of AgIn5S8 single crystals were investigated in the 1.44–1.91 eV energy region and in the 10–170 K temperature range. The PL band was observed to be centered at 1.65 eV at 10 K and an excitation intensity of 0.97 W cm−2. The redshift of this band with increasing temperature and with decreasing excitation intensity was observed. To explain the observed PL behavior, we propose that the emission is due to radiative recombination of a donor-acceptor pair, with an electron occupying a donor level located at 0.06 eV below the conduction band, and a hole occupying an acceptor level located at 0.32 eV above the valence band.

Visible photoluminescence from low temperature deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride

Abstract Hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H) sample have been prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using a mixture of silane (SiH4), nitrogen and ammonia (NH3). Most films exhibit visible photoluminescence (PL) and some emit strong PL after annealing. While films grown without NH3 exhibit PL in the deep red, those grown with NH3 show PL in the green. The PL properties of these films with no oxygen (O) content are similar to those of silicon oxide (SiOx) films and porous Si. Using infrared and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, we suggest that PL from a-SiNx:H films originate from Si clusters which form during PECVD and crystallize upon annealing. We propose that the presence of O is not necessary for efficient PL.