Etienne Grondin

Fabrication of silicon nitride waveguides for visible-light using PECVD: a study of the effect of plasma frequency on optical properties

This paper presents work aimed at optimizing the fabrication of silicon nitride Si(x)N(y) thin-film visible-light planar waveguides using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). The effects of plasma frequency, precursor gas ratio, and thermal annealing in relation to waveguide optical properties (refractive index, propagation losses) are studied. Experimental results over a wide range of precursor gas ratios show convincingly that waveguides fabricated using low-frequency PECVD have lower propagation losses in the visible range compared to waveguides of equal refractive index fabricated with high-frequency PECVD.

Bulk electro-optic deflector-based switches

We propose two novel electro-optic (EO) deflectors based on two new nonrectangular geometries: the parabolic and the half-horn configurations. These devices not only provide excellent deflection angles, but also have the potential to build nonblocking 2 x 2 optical switches. A deflector figure of merit is defined, and comparisons with existing EO deflectors are given. Devices fabricated in LiTaO(3) demonstrate 3 dB of average insertion loss and 3 degrees deflection angles. These results represent the best deflection performances to our knowledge reported to date for bulk EO deflectors.

Hybridization of III-V semiconductor membranes onto ion-exchanged waveguides

In this paper, we present an original method for the realization of hybrid photonic integrated circuits (PICs) based on ion-exchanged (IE) waveguides and III-V semiconductor materials. In our approach, we propose to bond thin semiconductor membranes at designated locations of the PIC where active functions are required. The advantage of very thin membranes is the possibility to keep the optical pathway defined by the IE waveguides even if the semiconductor refractive index is much higher than the glass refractive index. Modal analysis and beam propagation method simulations have been carried out in order to predict the modal structure of the propagated light into the membrane loaded IE waveguide and the transition from the IE waveguide itself through adiabatic tapers.

Reprogrammable optical phase array

A novel reprogrammable optical phase array (ROPA) device is presented as a reconfigurable electro-optic element. One specific application of the ROPA, a 1 x 6 electro-optic space switch, is fully described. Switching angles are within 2 degrees , and switching is achieved through a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) controlled, diffraction based, optical phase array in a bulk BaTiO3 crystal. The crystal is flip-chipped to the CMOS chip, creating a compact fully integrated device. The design, optical simulation, and fabrication of the device are described, and preliminary experimental results are presented.

Evanescent Field Coupler Optimized for High Refractive Index Differences (ECHRID)—A Platform for a SOI Photonics Optical Interface

This paper presents the Evanescent field Coupler optimized for High Refractive Index Differences (ECHRID), a proposed new platform for a silicon-on-insulator photonics interface. ECHRID devices are capable of optical performance levels on par with grating couplers and inverted tapers but can be fabricated at much lower cost without the need for high-resolution lithography. Numerical simulations and experimental results are presented that demonstrate average coupling efficiencies between large core injection waveguides and on-chip Si-based waveguides of over 99%, with a flat spectral response over a 120 nm range.

Accelerated binding kinetics by surface acoustic waves (SAW) micromixing in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system for biodetection

A design incorporating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensing and surface acoustic wave (SAW) active microfluidic mixing, integrated on a single LiNbO3 piezoelectric substrate, is presented. Validation experiments show that SAW-mixing (microstreaming) results in accelerated binding kinetics (time-to-saturation) for a standard assay with appropriate SAW excitation parameters. Since both SPR sensors and SAW transducers can be fabricated simultaneously using low-cost microfabrication methods, the proposed design should contribute to improved lab-on-chip devices for detecting and identifying biomolecules of interest with greater accuracy and speed across multiple applications.

Hybridized optical amplifiers based on III-V heterostructures and ion-exchanged waveguides

For the development of future agile photonic networks, integrated photonic technology will play a crucial role. A particular concern is the need for integration of both active and passive components at the chip level. Through simulation and fabrication results, a study on a hybrid device based on ion-exchanged waveguides and III-V active material is presented.

Accelerated surface plasmon resonance biosensing by surface acoustic waves microstreaming

This paper describes our design incorporating surface plasmon resonance biosensing and surface acoustic wave active microfluidic mixing, integrated on a single LiNbO3 piezoelectric substrate. Validation experiments show that surface acoustic wave-induced microstreaming results in significant accelerated binding kinetics in a case of a standard avidin-biotin affinity assay.

Electronically tunable semiconductor laser (ETL) based on silica Bragg reflectors

We will report on a new type of tunable semiconductor laser, which is based on the electronic selection of one Bragg grating among an array of such gratings in silica. The device that we have built operates at 120 Mb/s but extension to 1 Gb/s for Gigabit-Ethernet applications would be straightforward. In comparison with tunable semiconductor lasers using gratings in the III-V materials, silica gratings offer two significant advantages: 1-wavelength stability and predictability, 2-the ability to phusically overlap many gratings in a compact space in order to enable the selection of a large number of wavelengths for wavelength division multiplexed communications systems. The time required to chagne the wavelength in our laser has not been measured for lack of the necessary electronics but it is expected to be in the microsecond range on the basis of a straightforward calculation. The robust all solid-state nature of our device and its expected microsecond random-access tuning capability make it a strong candidate for agile wavelength routed largely optical networks. With microsecond tuning of precisely and robustly defined wavelengths, optical routing would be possible on a packet basis in a network using state-of-the-art add/drop filters or other types of wavelength selective elements, such as arrayed waveguide gratings.