Planar microoptomechanical waveguide switches

Bakke, Thor; Tigges, C.P.; Lean, J.J.; Sullivan, Charles T.; Spahn, Olga B.

doi:10.1109/2944.991400

Cited by 45 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Such integrated waveguides can have different structures 6,7 with the most common being a ridge waveguide type 8 (a waveguide core layer along the length with cladding layers above and below with refractive indices lower than the core) and a rib waveguide type 9 with semiconductor cladding on one side and air cladding on the other. Typical microscale optical waveguides have cross-sectional dimensions ranging from 0.1-8μm in height and 2-10μm width 6,[8][9][10] . Such a waveguide cantilever switch would require a tip movement in the range of a few microns.…”

Section: Optical Waveguide Design Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distributed intelligence using gallium nitride based active devices

Ramesh

Krishnamoorthy

Park

et al. 2010

Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2010

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This research seeks to develop a novel branch of materials systems called Distributed Intelligent Materials Systems (DIMS) which incorporate actuation, sensing, electronics and intelligence as inherent parts of the material structure. A microcantilever optical switch is fabricated as a concept demonstrator with Gallium nitride (GaN) as host material. GaN has several material characteristics which enable it to outperform other semiconductor materials for electronic applications. It also displays exceptional chemical inertness, has a relatively high piezoelectric coefficient, good mechanical strength and toughness and is transparent to wavelengths in the visible spectrum. In this paper we develop and fabricate a GaN-based, piezoelectrically actuated microcantilever optical switch/waveguide. While the GaN-material offers the benefits mentioned above, the piezoelectric actuation and the cantilever design provide benefits of lighter weight, compactness, speed of actuation, reduced structural complexity enabling easier fabrication and low wear and tear due to minimal moving parts. The proposed design has a conventional unimorph configuration with GaN actuated in d 31 mode. In this configuration, a laminar metal electrode and a doped n-type GaN layer are used to apply an electric field in the top layer to actuate the unimorph. The unimorph is fabricated as a micro-cantilever by using surface micromachining methods on epitaxial GaN grown on a GaN substrate. The cantilever is then etched partially using conventional semiconductor processing techniques and using a recent microfabrication technique known as photoelectrochemical (PEC) etch. PEC etching enables the fabrication of MOEMS structures that are rather difficult to create using conventional methods. Novel modifications and improvements to the current state-of-the art in PEC for GaN are presented and discussed.

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Section: Optical Waveguide Design Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distributed intelligence using gallium nitride based active devices

Ramesh

Krishnamoorthy

Park

et al. 2010

Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2010

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“…The approach typically used in these techniques utilizes segregated/segmentized [3,4] photonic components that are brought into the evanescent field regime for optical modulation and switching [5]. Some Integrated photonic components are relatively less tolerable to fabrication errors and misalignment of waveguides.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel nano-mechanical displacement detection based on a photonic nanowire waveguides coupler

Chew

Zhou

Chau

2011

International Symposium on Photoelectronic Detection and Imaging 2011: Sensor and Micromachined Optical Device Technologies

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Microoptoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS) are promising choices in achieving compact and yet precise sensors with intensity / phase modulation techniques or resonance shift based techniques. Particularly in the area of displacement sensing, MOEMS device may potentially offer a high accuracy and yet compact solution for highly sensitive portable sensors. We propose a novel approach of a hybrid device consisting of nano-mechanical structures and nanowire silicon photonics to achieve a new displacement sensing mechanism that does not require segmentization or intersecting of waveguides. In this work, we demonstrate that by optimizing a relatively broadband air-suspended nanowire waveguide directional coupler design that is integrated using silicon photonics structures, we can achieve sufficient attenuation without the need of waveguide segmentization thus effectively reducing the undesired insertion and coupling losses. First, we numerically design and optimize, utilizing a 3D FDTD numerical method, a nanowire waveguide directional coupler that is capable of achieving a -13 dB extinction ratio at submicron displacements. Next, we fabricate the proposed nanowire photonic waveguide directional coupler utilizing a simple and monolithic fabrication approach. The nano-mechanical structures are then characterized and calibrated in-situ under a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The optical sensitivities of the waveguide directional couplers are then characterized on a vibration isolation optical table under low noise conditions. The noise spectrum densities are also characterized by driving the structures under an AC actuating voltages to understand the minimum detectable nano-displacements.

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“…For example, integrated switches based on deflection of a suspended waveguide have been demonstrated in silicon-on-insulator and GaAs/AlGaAs systems [1] and in InP-based systems [2,3]. However, the optically-active nature of the III-V semiconductors has yet to be fully exploited in these micromachined waveguide devices.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Micromachined Quantum-Well Air-Clad Waveguides

Stievater

Rabinovich

Park

2007

2007 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO)

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We have used surface micromachining to fabricate suspended InGaAs quantum well waveguides that are supported by lateral tethers. Their enhanced electro-optical and nonlinearoptical properties will be discussed.New micromachining technologies have the potential to dramatically enhance the functionality and performance of integrated photonic devices. For example, integrated switches based on deflection of a suspended waveguide have been demonstrated in silicon-on-insulator and GaAs/AlGaAs systems[1] and in InP-based systems [2,3]. However, the optically-active nature of the III-V semiconductors has yet to be fully exploited in these micromachined waveguide devices. Lasers, optical gain segments, or electro-optic modulators can be integrated with micromachined III-V waveguides. Not only would this integration eliminate the need for separate photonic components and additional interconnects, but it would also take advantage of the unique optical properties of suspended compound semiconductor waveguides. These properties include extremely small cross-sectional mode areas due to the large index contrast (enhancing nonlinear optical and electrooptical effects) and strong evanescent fields in the surrounding air (important for sensing and switching applications).As a first step towards demonstrating optically active micromachined waveguides, we demonstrate in this work suspended InGaAs quantum well (QW) waveguides that operate in the C and L bands. A 20-period In .47 Ga .53 As/In .82 Ga .18 As .40 P .60 multiple quantum well (MQW) is grown between two 150 nm thick InGaAsP layers. This 590 nm thick waveguide layer is grown on a InAlAs sacrificial layer using molecular beam epitaxy. The MQW is designed to have a heavy-hole excitonic resonance at 1475 nm and a light-hole excitonic resonance at 1450 nm. The waveguides are patterned using electron-beam lithography and then suspended by selectively etching the sacrificial layer[4], resulting in a MQW core surrounded by an air cladding. The waveguides are attached using tethers spaced at regular intervals along the waveguide length.An example of such a waveguide is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1a shows a fabricated waveguide along with four tethers spaced at intervals of 100 μm. Figure 1b shows a close-up of one of the facets of a 2 μm wide waveguide. Total waveguide lengths range from 1 mm to 4 mm. (a) (b) Fig. 1. (a): An SEM image of a suspended MQW waveguide. (b): An SEM image of the end facet of a 2 μm wide waveguide.Light from a tunable laser is coupled to and collected from the cleaved waveguide facets using near-infrared microscope objectives. A sample transmission spectrum for both TE and TM light for a 3.6 μm wide, 1.2 mm a1004_1.pdf CThJJ3.pdf ©OSA 1-55752-834-9

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Planar microoptomechanical waveguide switches

Cited by 45 publications

References 15 publications

Distributed intelligence using gallium nitride based active devices

Distributed intelligence using gallium nitride based active devices

A novel nano-mechanical displacement detection based on a photonic nanowire waveguides coupler

Micromachined Quantum-Well Air-Clad Waveguides

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