Modular nonlinear hybrid plasmonic circuit

authored by
Alessandro Tuniz, Oliver Bickerton, Fernando J. Diaz, Thomas Käsebier, Ernst Bernhard Kley, Stefanie Kroker, Stefano Palomba, C. Martijn de Sterke
Abstract

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are revolutionizing nanotechnology, with far-reaching applications in telecommunications, molecular sensing, and quantum information. PIC designs rely on mature nanofabrication processes and readily available and optimised photonic components (gratings, splitters, couplers). Hybrid plasmonic elements can enhance PIC functionality (e.g., wavelength-scale polarization rotation, nanoscale optical volumes, and enhanced nonlinearities), but most PIC-compatible designs use single plasmonic elements, with more complex circuits typically requiring ab initio designs. Here we demonstrate a modular approach to post-processes off-the-shelf silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides into hybrid plasmonic integrated circuits. These consist of a plasmonic rotator and a nanofocusser, which generate the second harmonic frequency of the incoming light. We characterize each component’s performance on the SOI waveguide, experimentally demonstrating intensity enhancements of more than 200 in an inferred mode area of 100 nm2, at a pump wavelength of 1320 nm. This modular approach to plasmonic circuitry makes the applications of this technology more practical.

External Organisation(s)
University of Sydney
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB)
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Type
Article
Journal
Nature Communications
Volume
11
ISSN
2041-1723
Publication date
01.12.2020
Publication status
Published
Peer reviewed
Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Chemistry(all), Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all), Physics and Astronomy(all)
Electronic version(s)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16190-z (Access: Open)