Injection-seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifier devices and networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9893486-B2
Application number	US-201414574912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2014
Priority date	Dec 19, 2013
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

An injection-seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifier. The amplifier includes a micro or nanoscale whispering gallery mode resonator configured to amplify a whispering gallery mode therein via a gain medium separated from the whispering gallery mode resonator but within the evanescent field of the whispering gallery mode resonator. A pump stimulates the whispering gallery mode. A plasmonic surface couples power into the whispering gallery mode resonator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An injection seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifier comprising:
a plasmonic surface;
a micro or nanoscale whispering gallery mode resonator on said plasmonic surface;
a gain medium located a predetermined distance away from said whispering gallery mode resonator, wherein the predetermined distance is within an evanescent field of said whispering gallery mode resonator and wherein said gain medium has a gain spectrum that encompasses a Raman line of said whispering gallery mode resonator; and
an optical pump disposed to irradiate said whispering gallery mode resonator, wherein said optical pump is capable of generating radiation that stimulates a nonlinear optical process within said whispering gallery mode resonator.

2. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein said whispering gallery mode resonator comprises a microsphere.

3. The amplifier of claim 2 , wherein said microsphere comprises a polymer microsphere.

4. The amplifier of claim 3 , wherein said microsphere comprises a polystyrene micro sphere.

5. The amplifier of claim 4 , wherein said microsphere comprises a microsphere having a diameter in the range of several hundred nanometers to several hundred micrometers.

6. The amplifier of claim 5 , wherein said microsphere comprises a diameter of ˜50 μm or less.

7. The amplifier of claim 2 , wherein said microsphere comprises a glass microsphere.

8. The amplifier of claim 2 , wherein said microsphere comprises a crystalline microsphere.

9. The amplifier of claim 2 , wherein said plasmonic surface comprises a plasmonic array including an array of nanostructures.

10. The amplifier of claim 9 , wherein said nanostructures comprise nanocones.

11. The amplifier of claim 9 , wherein said plasmonic array comprises a thin film metal coating on said array of nanostructures.

12. The amplifier of claim 11 , wherein said nanostructures comprise nanoglobules.

13. The amplifier of claim 11 , wherein said thin film metal coating comprises an Ag nanolayer coating.

14. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein said gain medium comprises dye molecules.

15. The amplifier of claim 14 , wherein said dye molecules are tethered to said whispering gallery mode resonator.

16. The amplifier of claim 15 , wherein said dye molecules are tethered by a protein to said whispering gallery mode resonator.

17. The amplifier of claim 15 , wherein said protein comprises biotin/avidin.

18. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein said gain medium comprises quantum dots.

19. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein said whispering gallery mode resonator comprises a rod or a disc with a nanoscale or microscale diameter.

20. An injection seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifier comprising:
means for resonating and containing a whispering gallery optical mode or modes in a microscale or nanoscale volume;
means for stimulating the whispering gallery mode;
means for amplifying the whispering gallery mode through the evanescent field of the whispering gallery mode; and
a micro or nanoscale whispering gallery mode resonator on said plasmonic array; and
means for coupling power into and out of said means for resonating.

21. The amplifier of claim 20 , wherein said means for coupling further strengthens an electric field in the volume.

22. The amplifier of claim 21 , wherein the whispering gallery mode coincides with a predetermined Raman line and said means for resonating discriminates against all other modes.

23. The amplifier of claim 21 , wherein said means for resonating resonates and contains a plurality of whispering gallery modes and said means for contributing gain amplifies the plurality of whispering gallery modes.

24. An optical network, comprising:
an injection seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifier that stimulates a whispering gallery mode in a micro or nanoscale whispering gallery mode resonator by irradiating said whispering gallery mode resonator and amplifies the whispering gallery mode resonator via a gain medium separated from the whispering gallery mode resonator but within the evanescent field of the whispering gallery mode resonator; and
a transmission medium comprising an additional whispering gallery mode resonator that receives optical power from said injection-seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifier.

25. The optical network of claim 24 , wherein said transmission medium comprises a plurality of additional whispering gallery mode resonators.

26. The optical network of claim 25 , comprising a plurality of transmission media with a plurality of injection-seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifiers therebetween.

27. The optical network of claim 24 , wherein said injection-seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifier and said transmission medium are upon a plasmonic surface.

28. An injection-seeded whispering gallery mode optical amplifier comprising:
a micro or nanoscale whispering gallery mode resonator configured to amplify a whispering gallery mode therein via a gain medium separated from the whispering gallery mode resonator but within the evanescent field of the whispering gallery mode resonator;
a pump for stimulating the whispering gallery mode by irradiating said whispering gallery mode resonator; and
a plasmonic surface for coupling power into the whispering gallery mode resonator.

Assignees

• Univ Illinois

Inventors

• Eden J Gary
• Gartia Manas Ranjan
• Liu Gang Logan

Classifications

• H01S3/10092 Primary

  Coherent seed, e.g. injection locking · CPC title

• H01S3/108

  using non-linear optical devices, e.g. exhibiting Brillouin or Raman scattering {(mode locking using a non-linear element H01S3/1112)} · CPC title

• H01S3/0627

  the resonator being monolithic, e.g. microlaser · CPC title

• H01S3/30

  using scattering effects, e.g. stimulated Brillouin or Raman effects · CPC title

• H01S3/169

  Nanoparticles, e.g. doped nanoparticles acting as a gain material · CPC title