Roelof Jansen

Microscope-on-chip: combining lens-free microscopy with integrated photonics

Lens-free in-line Holographic Microscopy (LHM) is a promising imaging technique for many biomedical and industrial applications. The main advantage of the technique is the simplicity of the imaging hardware, requiring no lenses nor high-precision mechanical components. Nevertheless, the LHM systems achieve high imaging performance only in combination with a high-quality and complex illumination. Furthermore, to achieve truly high-throughput imaging capabilities, many applications require a complete on-chip integration. We demonstrate the strength, versatility and scalability of our integrated approach on two microscopes-on-chip instances that combine image sensor technologies with photonics (and micro-fluidics): a fully integrated Point-Source (PS) LHM module for in-flow cell inspection and Large Field-of-View (LFoV) microscope with on-chip photonic illumination for large-area imaging applications. The proposed PS-LHM module consists of a photonic illumination, a micro-fluidic channel and an imager, integrated in a total volume smaller than 0.5 mm3. A low-loss single-mode photonic waveguide is adapted to generate a high- NA illumination spot. Experimental results show strong focusing capabilities and sufficient overall coupling efficiency. Current PS-LHM prototype reaches imaging resolution below 600nm. Our LFoV-LHM system is extremely vertically compact as it consists of only one 1mm-thick illumination chip and one 3mm-thick imaging module. The illumination chip is based on fractal-layout phase-matched waveguides designed to generate multiple light sources that create a quasi-planar illumination wavefront over an area few square millimeter large. Current illumination prototype has active area of approximately 1.2×1.2mm2. Our LFoV-LHM prototype reaches imaging resolution of 870nm using image sensor with 1.12μm pixel pitch with maximum FoV of 16.47mm2.

CMOS-compatible silicon nitride spectrometers for lab-on-a-chip spectral sensing

We report on miniaturized optical spectrometers integrated on a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platform based on silicon nitride waveguides and fabricated in a CMOS-compatible approach. As compared to a silicon- on-insulator PIC-platform, the usage of silicon nitride allows for operation in the visible and near infrared. Furthermore, the moderately high refractive index contrast in silicon-nitride photonic wire waveguides provides a valuable compromise between compactness, optical loss and sensitivity to phase error. Three generic types of on-chip spectrometers are discussed: the arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) spectrometer, the echelle grating or planar concave grating (PCG) spectrometer and the stationary Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) spectrometer. Both the design as well as experimental results are presented and discussed. For the FTS spectrometer a specific design is described in detail leading to an ultra-small (0.1 mm2) footprint device with a resolution of 1 nm and a spectral range of 100nm. Examples are given of the usage of these spectrometers in refractive index biosensing, absorption spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

Characterization of PECVD Silicon Nitride Photonic Components at 532 and 900 nm Wavelength

Low temperature PECVD silicon nitride photonic waveguides have been fabricated by both electron beam lithography and 200 mm DUV lithography. Propagation losses and bend losses were both measured at 532 and 900 nm wavelength, revealing sub 1dB/cm propagation losses for cladded waveguides at both wavelengths for single mode operation. Without cladding, propagation losses were measured to be in the 1-3 dB range for 532 nm and remain below 1 dB/cm for 900 nm for single mode waveguides. Bend losses were measured for 532 nm and were well below 0.1 dB per 90 degree bend for radii larger than 10 μm.

Coupled multiphysics circuital modelling of micro-opto-mechanical pressure sensor systems

Micro-opto-mechanical pressure sensors (MOMPS) based on integrated optical Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI) have been fabricated at IMEC, exhibiting much improved sensitivity and noise performance compared to their piezoelectric and capacitive counterparts. However, the design of next generation MOMPS systems on chip still remains uncertain due to the intrinsic multiphysics nature covering mechanical, optical and electrical phenomena. For this reason, we present a sophisticated, flexible and customizable algorithmic tool for the multiphysics simulation and design of highperformance MOMPS systems on chip, including mechanical and optical effects as well as the electronic circuitry for the readout. Furthermore, static and dynamic operating regimes are analyzed, also comparing analytical solutions with experimental results and demonstrating a good agreement. Finally, system noise contributions generated by the optoelectronic components and readout electronics are calculated and a static sensitivity of 8 mV/Pa is measured in the fabricated sensors.

Frequency response and mode shape characterization for acoustic sensor in micro-opto-mechanical technology

This paper presents the characterization of frequency response and mode shape at the 1st harmonic frequency of a Micro-Opto-Mechanical Acoustic Sensors (MOMAS) with a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) readout system. In previous research, the static modeling and characterization has been demonstrated. In this paper, we investigate the capability of using MOMAS in ultrasound domain as a Micro-Opto-Mechanical Acoustic Sensor (MOMAS). We characterize the resonance frequency and mode shapes of three MOMAS by using a laser Doppler vibrometer(LDV) and a piezo shaker. The resonance frequencies range from 75kHz to 262kHz and the mode shapes are between a standard circular plate and a membrane mode. The results are compared with analytical models and finite element simulations to examine the effect of residual stress.

Density controlled nanophotonic waveguide gratings for efficient on-chip out-coupling in the near field (Conference Presentation)

Waveguide optics takes up a prominent role in the progressing miniaturization of optical devices. Chip integrated photonic waveguides especially allow for complex routing schemes of light across a chip. In/out-coupling diffraction gratings form an essential tool in waveguide systems, as they facilitate the interaction between the waveguide system and the near or far-field.[1,2] Ideally, these gratings would couple out all light in the waveguide into a beam with a predefined polarization and, phase and intensity profile. As such they should be able to produce any functional beam that is typically prepared by free space optics. Yet, in practice there is typically a design trade-off between beam quality and out-coupling efficiency.[2] Light in the waveguide has to travel laterally through the grating to be coupled out. The light therefore decays exponentially over the grating, causing much more light to be coupled out at the start of the grating than at the end. This asymmetry results in a warped out-coupling intensity that heavily influences the light beam’s intensity profile. Especially when the grating is addressing points in the near field, as is the case for focusing waveguide grating couplers, this effect can be highly disruptive. In this work we present a grating constructed from a field of sub-wavelength scatterers, rather than full grating lines. By tuning the position and the density of the scatterers, the phase and the intensity of the out-coupled light can be set precisely over large grating areas. An iterative design algorithm is developed that carefully tunes the density so as to control the light intensity in the waveguide and the amount of out-coupled light. Using FDTD simulations we show that these gratings can efficiently couple out light into a nearly diffraction limited spot with an even angular intensity. We verify this experimentally by fabricating these gratings in the SiN/SiO2 system using e-beam lithography. In addition, we also show that these gratings can couple out more complex holographic patterns. These density controlled out-coupling gratings let us efficiently address the near-field on optical chips, making them ideal waveguide components for on-chip optical trapping, holographic imaging or fluorescent excitation.[3]

Study of broadband propagation characteristic of quasi-fractal phononic crystal for enhanced sensing applications

This paper reports on bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators with quasi-fractal perforations for increased sensitivity in bio-sensing applications and on the broadband transmission line (TL) model of such resonators. Fractal perforations are implemented in BAW resonators to increase their surface area-to-volume ratio and to thereby enhance the sensitivity. We found that a further improvement is expected at higher resonance frequencies for the quasi-fractal phononic crystal (PnC) we have designed. This particular PnC has local resonances entailing strongly dispersive effective acoustic properties. Therefore, we have modeled the device implementing this PnC as a broadband dispersive transmission line (TL) to account for all the essential modes of longitudinal resonance. Our measurements, in very good agreement with this model, confirm the existence of the propagation mode in the PnC with enhanced projected sensitivity.

Optical power distributions through fractal routing

Several applications in integrated optics require an equal distribution of power from a single input port among many photonic components, whether they be projection components or sensors. One method of achieving such a system is through using progressively more tightly coupled evanescent couplers to route power from a single feeding line [1]. While very compact, this approach requires careful design and characterization of evanescent couplers, and is vulnerable to process variations as the ratio of coupling has a non-linear relation to the couplers’ gap size. Fractals, widely present in nature, are recursive objects where each section is geometrically similar to its parent. They find applications in various fields [2], including RF antenna design and feeding [3]. In this paper we propose to use the fractal approach for spreading power evenly over an area using micro-machined photonic waveguides. In the fractal routing demonstrated in this work, an 1×2 multimode interference (MMI) coupler splits the power at each fractal stage. This provides several advantages. First, only one power splitter design is needed. Second, MMI couplers are well known, and more robust to process tolerances than evanescent couplers [3]. Third, they are symmetrical, and therefore provide a theoretically perfect power distribution independent of the fractal depth. We therefore demonstrate that a fractal routing provides a way to evenly and efficiently distribute power over a large area.

Large-scale characterization of silicon nitride-based evanescent couplers at 532nm wavelength

Recently, the photonics community has a renewed attention for silicon nitride.1-3 When deposited at temperatures below 650K with plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD),4 it enables photonic circuits fabricated on-top of standard complementary metaloxidesemiconductor (CMOS) electronics. Silicon nitride is moreover transparent to wavelengths that are visible to the human eye and detectable with available silicon detectors, thus offering a photonics platform for a range of applications that is not accessible with the popular silicon-on-insulator platform. However, first-time-right design of large-scale circuits for demanding specifications requires reliable models of the basic photonic building blocks, like evanescent couplers (Figure 1), components that couple power between multiple waveguides. While these models typically exist for the silicon-on-insulator platform, they still lack maturity for the emerging silicon nitride platform. Therefore, we meticulously studied silicon nitride-based evanescent couplers fabricated in our 200mm-wafer facility. We produced the structures in a silicon nitride film deposited with low-temperature PECVD, and patterned it using optical lithography at a wavelength of 193nm and reactive ion etching. We measured the performance of as much as 250 different designs at 532nm wavelength, a central wavelength in the visible range for which laser sources are widespread. For each design, we measured the progressive transmission of up-to 10 cascaded identical couplers (Figure 2(a)), yielding very accurate figures for the coupling factor (Figure 2(b)). This paper presents the trends extracted from this vast data set (Figure 3), and elaborates on the impact of the couplers bend radius and gap on its coupling factors (Figure 4 and Figure 5). We think that the large- scale characterization of evanescent couplers presented in this paper, in excellent agreement with the simulated performance of the devices, forms the basis for a component library that enables accurate design of silicon nitride-based photonic circuitry.