This paper presents work aimed at optimizing the fabrication of silicon nitride Si(x)N(y) thin-film visible-light planar waveguides using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). The effects of plasma frequency, precursor gas ratio, and thermal annealing in relation to waveguide optical properties (refractive index, propagation losses) are studied. Experimental results over a wide range of precursor gas ratios show convincingly that waveguides fabricated using low-frequency PECVD have lower propagation losses in the visible range compared to waveguides of equal refractive index fabricated with high-frequency PECVD.

This article presents a device incorporating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing and surface acoustic wave (SAW) actuation integrated onto a common LiNbO(3) piezoelectric substrate. The device uses Rayleigh-type SAW to provide active microfluidic mixing in the fluid above the SPR sensor. Validation experiments show that SAW-induced microfluidic mixing results in accelerated binding kinetics of an avidin-biotin assay. Results also show that, though SAW action causes a parasitic SPR response due to heat injection into the fluid, a relatively brief relaxation time following the SAW pulses allows the effect to dissipate, without affecting the overall assay response. Since both SPR sensors and SAW transducers can be fabricated simultaneously using low-cost microfabrication methods on a single substrate, the proposed design is well-suited to lab-on-chip applications.

We propose two novel electro-optic (EO) deflectors based on two new nonrectangular geometries: the parabolic and the half-horn configurations. These devices not only provide excellent deflection angles, but also have the potential to build nonblocking 2 x 2 optical switches. A deflector figure of merit is defined, and comparisons with existing EO deflectors are given. Devices fabricated in LiTaO(3) demonstrate 3 dB of average insertion loss and 3 degrees deflection angles. These results represent the best deflection performances to our knowledge reported to date for bulk EO deflectors.

No abstract

No abstract