Integrated photonic devices based on waveguides patterned with optical antenna arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9588292-B2
Application number	US-201514977741-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Jun 25, 2013
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

Integrated photonic devices including an optical waveguide patterned with an array of antennas are provided. The small footprint, lightweight, and broadband integrated photonic devices provided can be configured into waveguide mode converters, polarization rotators, perfect absorbers, photodetectors, optical power diodes, nonlinear optical elements, heat-assisted magnetic recorders, optical isolators, and optical circulators.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An integrated photonic device comprising:
an antenna array having a plurality of antennas, wherein each of the plurality of antennas is configured to have a variable phase difference with an adjacent antenna associated with one or more phase differences for the antenna array; and
an optical waveguide coupled to the antenna array and formed by one or more materials that controls the propagation of light through the waveguide by converting at least one optical parameter of the propagating light based on a set of parameters of the one or more materials and the one or more phase differences of the antenna array.

2. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is disposed on top of the waveguide, inside the waveguide, underneath the waveguide, or proximate the side of the waveguide.

3. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array comprises metallic or dielectric materials.

4. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas is spaced equally or unequally.

5. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas comprises a same or different shape.

6. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas is spaced no more than one free space wavelength from another antenna, and wherein the antenna array has a length no more than one hundred times the free space wavelength.

7. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is configured to introduce a spatial distribution of optical phase.

8. The integrated photonic device of claim 7 , wherein the optical phase has a linear distribution along the waveguide.

9. The integrated photonic device of claim 7 , wherein the optical phase has a nonlinear distribution along the waveguide.

10. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is configured to introduce a spatial distribution of optical amplitude.

11. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is configured to introduce a spatial distribution of optical polarization.

12. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is configured to introduce a spatial distribution of optical impedance.

13. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is configured to introduce two or more of spatial distributions of phase, amplitude, polarization, and optical impedance.

14. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , configured to form an optical waveguide mode converter.

15. The integrated photonic device of claim 14 , wherein the mode converter is adapted for use in a mode-division multiplexing or demultiplexing system.

16. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , configured to form a polarization rotator.

17. The integrated photonic device of claim 16 , wherein the polarization rotator is adapted for use in a polarization-division multiplexing or demultiplexing system.

18. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , configured to form an absorber of optical power.

19. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , configured to form an optical power diode.

20. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , configured to create a nanoscale hot spot of light for heat-assisted magnetic recording.

21. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , configured to form a photodetector based on internal photoemission, wherein the waveguide comprises a semiconductor and wherein the antenna array comprises a plurality of aperture antennas defined in a metallic film.

22. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , configured to form a nonlinear optical element, wherein the waveguide comprises one or more optical nonlinear materials and wherein the antenna array is configured for phase matching between different waves participating in the nonlinear optical process.

23. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , configured as an optical isolator, wherein the antenna array is proximate materials having a tunable optical refractive index.

24. An optical circulator comprised of a plurality of the integrated photonic devices of claim 23 , further configured for routing an optical signal to a predetermined optical waveguide at a junction of waveguides.

25. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array comprises a two-dimensional array and the waveguide comprises a two-dimensional slab waveguide.

26. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array comprises metallic or dielectric materials, the waveguide comprises near-infrared transparent material, and wherein the device is adapted for electromagnetic waves having telecommunications wavelengths from 1.3 to 1.6 μm.

27. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array comprises metallic or dielectric materials, the waveguide comprises mid-infrared transparent material, and wherein the device is configured for mid-infrared wavelengths of 3 to 30 μm.

28. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array comprises metallic or dielectric materials, the waveguide comprises far-infrared transparent material, and wherein the device is configured for far-infrared wavelengths of 30 μm to 1 mm.

29. The integrated photonic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna array comprises metallic or dielectric materials, the waveguide comprises microwave and radio transparent material, and wherein the device is configured for microwave and radio wavelengths longer than 1 mm.

30. A plurality of the integrated photonic devices of claim 1 , configured to form an optical waveguide mode converter and a polarization rotator adapted for use in a hybrid mode-and polarization-division multiplexing or demultiplexing system.

Assignees

• Univ Columbia

Inventors

• Yu Nanfang
• Li Zhaoyi
• Kim Myoung-Hwan

Classifications

• G11B5/6088

  Optical waveguide in or on flying head · CPC title

• G02F1/3544

  Particular phase matching techniques · CPC title

• G02B6/14

  Mode converters · CPC title

• G02B2006/12157

  Isolator · CPC title

• G11B2005/0021

  Thermally assisted recording using an auxiliary energy source for heating the recording layer locally to assist the magnetization reversal · CPC title