SGER: Development of a Tunable Parametric Mid IR Source Using Silicon Photonic Crystal Fiber (ECCS-0742746)
Guifang Li University of Central Florida
Intellectual Merits: This project will results in the first silicon photonic crystal fiber. The method of fabricating silicon silicon photonic crystal fiber is innovative in that it is a conversion process, rather than the traditional drawing process. It leverages on the recently-established silica silicon photonic crystal fiber technology and newly discovered magnesiothemic reduction processes. Everything that has been done in the near IR can be replicated in the infrared, especially the mid-IR with the availability of the silicon photonic crystal fiber.
Broader Impacts: The silicon silicon photonic crystal fiber and the Mid infrared generation and detection technology can bring extensive benefits to the scientific community and the society. It leads to new capabilities in Mid infrared including transport, linear and nonlinear spectroscopy. These new capabilities in turn will enable many commercial and defense applications. For example, Mid infrared transport can be used for laser surgery; Mid infrared spectroscopy can be used for medical diagnostics and environmental sensing. High power Mid infrared generation and sensitive detection can be used in lidar, sensor, secure communications and countermeasures.
