Zeno-based Optical Limiters for Integrated Photonics Applications (UMD)
Abstract
Integrated photonic devices are penetrating into an ever increasing number of technological applications that include integrated sensors and gyroscopes, high-speed optical interconnects for communication and computation, analog signal processing, lidar and phased array imaging. But the increasing use of integrated photonics also raises concern about vulnerabilities to directedenergy attacks. These vulnerabilities are particularly important in integrated photonics applications where light can be concentrated to wavelength scale dimensions, resulting in high field intensities that can damage optical devices and sensors even at low powers. There is a clear need to developon-chip optical limiters that are compact and operate at low powers in order to protect sensitive integrated photonic components.The primary objective of this program is to develop a new class of low-power optical limiters for integrated photonic applications that can operate with both pulsed and continuouswave inputs. To achieve this objective, we will utilize a physical mechanism called optical Zeno effect. This effect enables a saturable absorber to transmit low powers and reflect away highpowers. Saturable absorption is a strong resonant nonlinearity that can generate a nonlinearresponse with optical powers that are orders of magnitude lower than other nonlinear processes such as than two-photon absorption and thermo-optical effects. It thus paves the way for optical limiters that can operate under low-power continuous wave excitation and respond in nanosecondto picosecond timescales.We will experimentally realize and study Zeno optical limiters using quantum dots coupled to photonic cavities. Quantum dots are highly efficient saturable absorbers that can be tuned over a broad wavelength range to create optical limiters spanning a large portion of the infrared spectrum, including the entire telecom spectrum crucial for optical communications. To achievelow power operation, we will couple these absorbers to photonic crystals and ring resonator cavities. The program will entail four mutually complementary thrusts: 1) Design, fabricate, and test Zeno limiters that can limit the output power to below 1 mW continuous wave operation. 2) Integrate Zeno limiters with Si and lithium niobate photonics. 3) Develop broadband Zeno limitersusing a multi-band wavelength division multiplexing approach. 4) Investigate a novel optical limiter implementation based on two-dimensional metasurfaces coupled to quantum dots.The Waks group is uniquely positioned to undertake this ambitious research program andrealize all of the program objectives. The PI is a leading expert in nanophotonics and nonlinear optics and has experimentally realized optical nonlinearities with world-record low optical powers.His group has already demonstrated many of the preliminary capabilities required to develop low power optical limiters using quantum dots. Success of this program would enable a new class of optical limiters for integrated photonics applications that operate under continuous wave excitation. Such limiters would play an important role in counter directed energy attacks, thus strongly supporting the mission of theNavy and the CDEW program. The program will also advance our scientific understanding of nonlinear optical properties in integrated photonic devices. The results of the program will demonstrate technological capabilities that far exceed the current state-of-the-art in on-chip optical limiters for integrated photonics applications, which is of great interest to the DoD in general.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 17, 2020
- Source ID
- N000142012551
Entities
People
- Edo Waks
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Maryland