Optics on Si enables a platform for monolithic integration of optics and microelectronics. It can open the door to a new technology that is free from conventional microelectronics limitations with low power, high bandwidth, high speed and a high level of integration.
Recent results in Si Nanophotonics have shown the ability to guide, filter, bend and split light on Silicon chips using nano-size structures. Here it is proposed to address two of the major issues in Si-based Nanophotonics that remain the bottleneck of this field: 1. Coupling on-chip nano-size structures to off-chip micron size structures necessitated by the current absence of an all-Silicon optical source, and 2. Controlling externally the photonic structures for modulation and switching. The solution to these two key technical challenges will enable the design of all-optical and electro-optical systems with unprecedented performance.
In order to achieve coupling, switching and modulation on Silicon highly confining structures will be used. The high degree of optical confinement at a specific location of the structure increases the sensitivity of the device to external control. It also enables modification of the waveguiding modes in very short lengths, for increased coupling efficiency between different structures. The preliminary results show the feasibility of switching and coupling light using sub-micron size high confinement structures in Si and create the groundwork for this proposed research.
In addition to the research plan, it is proposed to develop: 1. An outreach program with the goal of addressing the retention problem of female students in engineering and in particular in the emerging field of nanotechnology by addressing career-family life issues, and 2. An educational program for exposing students to photonics as an interdisciplinary area and enhancing the undergraduate and graduate ECE curriculum in the area of photonics.
