Yaguo Wang

Mode-Wise Thermal Conductivity of Bismuth Telluride

Thermal properties and transport control are important for many applications, for example, low thermal conductivity is desirable for thermoelectrics. Knowledge of modewise phonon properties is crucial to identify dominant phonon modes for thermal transport and to design effective phonon barriers for thermal transport control. In this paper, we adopt time-domain (TD) and frequency-domain (FD) normal-mode analyses to investigate mode-wise phonon properties and to calculate phonon dispersion relations and phonon relaxation times in bismuth telluride. Our simulation results agree with the previously reported data obtained from ultrafast time-resolved measurements. By combining frequency-dependent anharmonic phonon group velocities and lifetimes, mode-wise thermal conductivities are predicted to reveal the contributions of heat carriers with different wavelengths and polarizations. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4024356]

Geometrical tuning art for entirely subwavelength grating waveguide based integrated photonics circuits

Subwavelength grating (SWG) waveguide is an intriguing alternative to conventional optical waveguides due to the extra degree of freedom it offers in tuning a few important waveguide properties, such as dispersion and refractive index. Devices based on SWG waveguides have demonstrated impressive performances compared to conventional waveguides. However, the high loss of SWG waveguide bends jeopardizes their applications in integrated photonic circuits. In this work, we propose a geometrical tuning art, which realizes a pre-distorted refractive index profile in SWG waveguide bends. The pre-distorted refractive index profile can effectively reduce the mode mismatch and radiation loss simultaneously, thus significantly reduce the bend loss. This geometry tuning art has been numerically optimized and experimentally demonstrated in present study. Through such tuning, the average insertion loss of a 5 μm SWG waveguide bend is reduced drastically from 5.43 dB to 1.10 dB per 90° bend for quasi-TE polarization. In the future, the proposed scheme will be utilized to enhance performance of a wide range of SWG waveguide based photonics devices.

All-optical switching with 1-ps response time in a DDMEBT enabled silicon grating coupler/resonator hybrid device

An amorphous film of the third-order nonlinear optical material DDMEBT was spun onto silicon chips for the first time, filling 80 nm lithographic features. A 710 μm² device was designed, fabricated, and tested that acts both as a nonlinear resonator switch and as an input/output grating coupler to a perfectly vertical single mode fiber. Autocorrelation and spectral measurements indicate the device has <1 ps response time, 4 nm of switching bandwidth, and 4 dB of on/off contrast. With sufficient power, this all-optical device can potentially modulate a single optical carrier frequency in excess of 1 THz.

High quality factor subwavelength grating waveguide micro-ring resonator based on trapezoidal silicon pillars

Subwavelength grating waveguide-based micro-ring resonators (SWGMRs) are a promising platform for research in light-matter interaction. However, it is extremely difficult to achieve small radius SWGMR devices (e.g., 5 μm) with satisfying quality factors (e.g., ∼10,000). One major issue is the large bend loss of small radius SWGMRs. In this work, we report the use of trapezoidal silicon pillars instead of conventional rectangular silicon pillars as building blocks of SWGMRs. We found that an asymmetric effective refractive index profile created by trapezoidal silicon pillars can significantly reduce the bend loss and therefore increase the quality factors of SWGMRs. For the first time to the best of our knowledge, we have experimentally demonstrated a 5 μm radius SWGMR made of trapezoidal silicon pillars (T-SWGMR) with an applicable quality factor as high as 11,500, 4.6 times of that (∼2800) offered by a conventional SWGMR made of rectangular silicon pillars, which indicates an 81.4% reduction of the propagation loss. This approach can also be readily employed to enhance SWGMRs with larger radii. We have also experimentally demonstrated a 10 μm radius T-SWGMR with a quality factor as high as 45,000, which indicates a propagation loss as low as 6.07 dB/cm.

Experimental evidence of exciton capture by mid-gap defects in CVD grown monolayer MoSe 2

In two dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides, defect-related processes can significantly affect carrier dynamics and transport properties. Using femtosecond degenerate pump-probe spectroscopy, exciton capture, and release by mid-gap defects have been observed in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown monolayer MoSe2. The observed defect state filling shows a clear saturation at high exciton densities, from which the defect density is estimated to be around 0.5 × 1012/cm2. The exciton capture time extracted from experimental data is around ~ 1 ps, while the average fast and slow release times are 52 and 700 ps, respectively. The process of defect trapping excitons is found to exist uniquely in CVD grown samples, regardless of substrate and sample thickness. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements on CVD and exfoliated samples suggest that the oxygen-associated impurities could be responsible for the exciton trapping. Our results bring new insights to understand the role of defects in capturing and releasing excitons in 2D materials, and demonstrate an approach to estimate the defect density nondestructively, both of which will facilitate the design and application of optoelectronics devices based on CVD grown 2D transition metal dichalcogenides.Mid-gap defects: Carriers in a trapThe temporal dynamics of photo-generated electrons and holes in MoSe2 trapped by defects are revealed. While transitional metal dichalcogenides have significant potential for optoelectronic applications, samples tend to contain defects such as vacancies and impurities, most of which affect carrier mobility by inducing mid-gap states, i.e. within the bandgap. Now a team led by Yaguo Wang from the University of Texas elucidates the role of defects in samples grown by chemical vapor deposition. Femtosecond pump probe spectroscopy reveals that such defects are prone to capture (within few picoseconds) and then release (at slightly longer timescales of hundreds of picoseconds) electrons and holes. Such dynamics are intrinsic to samples grown with this particular method and possibly linked to the oxygen-associated impurities introduced during growth. This knowledge is relevant to engineering the properties of 2D materials for optoelectronics applications.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics and coherent acoustic phonons in bulk CdSe.

The femtosecond pump-probe technique is used to study the dynamics of photoexcited carriers and coherent acoustic phonons in bulk CdSe semiconductor. A turning point from fast to slow decay is observed, whose amplitude decreases with pump fluences and eventually flips the sign of differential reflectivity. The maximum change of differential reflectivity shows a saturation at high pump fluences, which is attributed to the optical energy gap dependent on carrier density. Long-lasting coherent oscillations of acoustic phonons have also been detected, and their amplitude and lifetime have a strong dependence on pump fluences. Our results can facilitate the understanding of ultrafast carrier and phonon dynamics in CdSe nanocrystals.

Carrier Trapping by Oxygen Impurities in Molybdenum Diselenide

Understanding defect effect on carrier dynamics is essential for both fundamental physics and potential applications of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Here, the phenomenon of oxygen impurities trapping photoexcited carriers has been studied with ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. Oxygen impurities are intentionally created in exfoliated multilayer MoSe2 with Ar+ plasma irradiation and air exposure. After plasma treatment, the signal of transient absorption first increases and then decreases, which is a signature of defect-capturing carriers. With larger density of oxygen defects, the trapping effect becomes more prominent. The trapping defect densities are estimated from the transient absorption signal, and its increasing trend in the longer-irradiated sample agrees with the results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. First-principle calculations with density functional theory reveal that oxygen atoms occupying Mo vacancies create mid-gap defect states, which are responsible for carrier trapping. Our findings shed light on the important role of oxygen defects as carrier trappers in TMDs, and facilitate defect engineering in relevant materials and device applications.

Observation of Third-order Nonlinearities in Graphene Oxide Film at Telecommunication Wavelengths

All-optical switches have been considered as a promising solution to overcome the fundamental speed limit of the current electronic switches. However, the lack of a suitable third-order nonlinear material greatly hinders the development of this technology. Here we report the observation of ultrahigh third-order nonlinearity about 0.45 cm2/GW in graphene oxide thin films at the telecommunication wavelength region, which is four orders of magnitude higher than that of single crystalline silicon. Besides, graphene oxide is water soluble and thus easy to process due to the existence of oxygen containing groups. These unique properties can potentially significantly advance the performance of all-optical switches.

All-optical switch with 1 ps response time enabled by graphene oxide infiltrated subwavelength grating waveguide

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate an all-optical switch using graphene oxide infiltrated subwavelength grating waveguide. Benefiting from the extremely large Kerr coefficient of graphene oxide (four orders of magnitude larger than conventional materials) and large mode volume overlap factor of the subwavelength grating waveguide (4~10 times larger than conventional strip waveguides), the switch is capable of achieving THz speed with less than 1 fJ energy consumption per bit, which is more than three orders of magnitude smaller than THz switches reported so far.

Carrier dynamics and optical nonlinearity of alloyed CdSeTe quantum dots in glass matrix

Size and pump-fluence dependent ultrafast carrier dynamics of CdSeTe QDs are investigated using femtosecond pump-probe techniques operating at two different repetition rates: 1 kHz (low-repetition rate), and 76 MHz (high-repetition rate). With a low-repetition rate laser and 3.1 eV excitation photon energy, multiple exciton generation (MEG) is observed and the optical responses of alloyed QDs clearly show three components: a fast decay ascribed to carrier recombination, an intermediate component associated with MEG decay, and a slow decay associated with radiative Auger recombination. With a high-repetition rate laser and excitation photon energy resonant with band-edge energy, obvious coherent phonon oscillations are observed in 4 nm CdSeTe QDs due to impulsive stimulated Raman scattering. Open-aperture Z-scan measurement is used to clarify the size and pump-fluence dependence of optical nonlinearity under femtosecond laser excitation. With increasing laser power, an evolution from saturable absorption to reverse saturable absorption in CdSeTe QDs is observed. The transition process is analyzed using a phenomenological model based on nonlinear absorption coefficient and saturation intensity. These results indicate that CdSeTe QDs in a glass matrix are a class of materials for potential application in all-optical switching devices.