Sejeong Kim

Nanobeam photonic bandedge lasers

We demonstrate one-dimensional nanobeam photonic bandedge lasers with InGaAsP quantum wells at room temperature from the lowest dielectric band of photonic crystal nanobeam waveguides. The incident optical power at threshold is 0.6 mW (effectively ~18 μW). To confirm the lasing from the dielectric bandedge, the polarization and the photoluminescent spectra are taken from nanobeams of varying lattice constants. The observed shift of the lasing wavelength agrees well with the computational prediction.

Optical vortex arrays from smectic liquid crystals.

We demonstrate large-area, closely-packed optical vortex arrays using self-assembled defects in smectic liquid crystals. Self-assembled smectic liquid crystals in a three-dimensional torus structure are called focal conic domains. Each FCD, having a micro-scale feature size, produces an optical vortex with consistent topological charge of 2. The spiral profile in the interferometry confirms the formation of an optical vortex, which is predicted by Jones matrix calculations.

Single nanobeam optical sensor with a high Q-factor and high sensitivity

The miniaturization of optical sensors is essential for the realization of compact, portable, and cost-effective devices. Photonic crystal-based optical sensors, which have an ultra-small mode volume and footprint, have demonstrated remarkable recent progress in achieving a high figure-of-merit (FOM) in a sensor. Here, we report an optical sensor with a high Q-factor and high sensitivity based on a photonic crystal nanobeam using the second lowest air band-edge mode. We calculated that a nanobeam (n=3.4) in a water environment (n=1.33) has refractive-index sensitivity of ~631 nm/RIU, while the quality factor is greater than 23,300. Accordingly, a theoretical FOM of the sensor corresponds to >9500. To the best of our knowledge, experimental refractive-index sensitivity of 461 nm/RIU is the highest value among photonic crystal single nanobeam geometry. The simple geometry of uniform air hole sizes and lattice constants in the proposed nanobeam sensor allows easy fabrication and mechanical stability.

Low-voltage-tunable nanobeam lasers immersed in liquid crystals.

A low-voltage-tunable one-dimensional nanobeam laser is realized by employing lithographically defined lateral electrodes. An InGaAsP nanobeam with a sub-micrometer width is transfer-printed in the middle of two electrodes using a polydimethylsiloxane stamp. Spectral tuning is achieved by controlling the molecular alignment of the surrounding liquid crystals (LCs). From μm-scale-gap structures, a total wavelength shift that exceed 6 nm is observed at a low voltage of less than 10 V. A measured spectral tuning rate of 0.87 nm/V, which is the largest value ever reported to our knowledge among LC-tuned photonic crystal lasers, was also noted.

All-optical control and super-resolution imaging of quantum emitters in layered materials

Layered van der Waals materials are emerging as compelling two-dimensional platforms for nanophotonics, polaritonics, valleytronics and spintronics, and have the potential to transform applications in sensing, imaging and quantum information processing. Among these, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is known to host ultra-bright, room-temperature quantum emitters, whose nature is yet to be fully understood. Here we present a set of measurements that give unique insight into the photophysical properties and level structure of hBN quantum emitters. Specifically, we report the existence of a class of hBN quantum emitters with a fast-decaying intermediate and a long-lived metastable state accessible from the first excited electronic state. Furthermore, by means of a two-laser repumping scheme, we show an enhanced photoluminescence and emission intensity, which can be utilized to realize a new modality of far-field super-resolution imaging. Our findings expand current understanding of quantum emitters in hBN and show new potential ways of harnessing their nonlinear optical properties in sub-diffraction nanoscopy.The photophysical properties of quantum emitters in layered van der Waals materials are receiving growing attention as they could be leveraged for nanophotonics applications. Here, the authors devise a two-laser super-resolution imaging setup capable of observing highly non-linear emission from hBN emitters.

Semiconductor Photonic Nanocavity on a Paper Substrate

Direct integration of semiconductor photonic nanocavities with paper substrates is demonstrated for the first time. 1D photonic crystal nanocavities successfully show lasing action on paper substrates. The device has great synergy as a sensor because paper has good wicking ability while a photonic crystal cavity has high figure of merit. The research provides a platform for eco-friendly and sustainable devices.

Room temperature solid-state quantum emitters in the telecom range

An optically stable, room temperature single-photon emitter operating in telecom wavelength range is discovered in GaN. On-demand, single-photon emitters (SPEs) play a key role across a broad range of quantum technologies. In quantum networks and quantum key distribution protocols, where photons are used as flying qubits, telecom wavelength operation is preferred because of the reduced fiber loss. However, despite the tremendous efforts to develop various triggered SPE platforms, a robust source of triggered SPEs operating at room temperature and the telecom wavelength is still missing. We report a triggered, optically stable, room temperature solid-state SPE operating at telecom wavelengths. The emitters exhibit high photon purity (~5% multiphoton events) and a record-high brightness of ~1.5 MHz. The emission is attributed to localized defects in a gallium nitride (GaN) crystal. The high-performance SPEs embedded in a technologically mature semiconductor are promising for on-chip quantum simulators and practical quantum communication technologies.

Photonic crystal cavities from hexagonal boron nitride

Development of scalable quantum photonic technologies requires on-chip integration of photonic components. Recently, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has emerged as a promising platform, following reports of hyperbolic phonon-polaritons and optically stable, ultra-bright quantum emitters. However, exploitation of hBN in scalable, on-chip nanophotonic circuits and cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) experiments requires robust techniques for the fabrication of high-quality optical resonators. In this letter, we design and engineer suspended photonic crystal cavities from hBN and demonstrate quality (Q) factors in excess of 2000. Subsequently, we show deterministic, iterative tuning of individual cavities by direct-write EBIE without significant degradation of the Q-factor. The demonstration of tunable cavities made from hBN is an unprecedented advance in nanophotonics based on van der Waals materials. Our results and hBN processing methods open up promising avenues for solid-state systems with applications in integrated quantum photonics, polaritonics and cavity QED experiments.Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a layered van der Waals material showing promise for nanophotonics. Here, the authors design hBN photonic crystal cavities with quality factors exceeding 2000, and further demonstrate deterministic tuning of individual cavities by minimally-invasive electron beam induced etching.

Design of photonic microcavities in hexagonal boron nitride

We propose and design photonic crystal cavities (PCCs) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) for diverse photonic and quantum applications. Two dimensional (2D) hBN flakes contain quantum emitters which are ultra-bright and photostable at room temperature. To achieve optimal coupling of these emitters to optical resonators, fabrication of cavities from hBN is therefore required to maximize the overlap between cavity optical modes and the emitters. Here, we design 2D and 1D PCCs using anisotropic indices of hBN. The influence of underlying substrates and material absorption are investigated, and spontaneous emission rate enhancements are calculated. Our results are promising for future quantum photonic experiments with hBN.

Effects of Fano Resonance on Optical Chirality of Planar Plasmonic Nanodevices

The effects of Fano resonance on the optical chirality of planar plasmonic nanodevices in the visible wavelength range are experimentally observed and theoretically explained. The nanodevice consists of a nanodisk at the center with six gold nanorods with an orientation angle to exhibit optical chirality under dark-field illumination. The chiral response induced by the gold nanorods are affected by the presence of the nanodisk with different diameters which causes Fano resonance. An intriguing change to the opposite selection preference of different handedness of the circularly polarized light has been clearly observed experimentally. This change of the preference is understood based on the extended coupled oscillator model. Moreover, electrostatic analysis and the time-dependent simulations provide a further understanding of the phenomenon. The observed and understood effects of Fano resonance on optical chirality enables effective manipulation of chiral characteristics of planar subwavelength nanodevices.