Development of a Confocal Microscopy and Spectroscopy Setup for the Characterization of On-Chip Nanophotonic Structures
Abstract
PUBLICLY RELEASABLE ABSTRACT Reference: Proposal#74849-EL-RI Title: Development of a Confocal Microscopy and Spectroscopy Setup for the Characterization of On-Chip Nanophotonic Structures PI: Bo Zhen, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania Statement of scientific objectives: Benefiting from their unique advantages of high speed, low energy cost, and large bandwidth, light-based technology will play an essential role in addressing major societal challenges in energy, communication, and healthcare. The key to future advances lies in the ability to control light in virtually any way desired Ð a capability that can be provided by nanophotonic structures. Most current optical setups can characterize only either the near-field or the far-field properties of the photonic integrated circuits, which can turn out to be time-consuming in practice. To quickly and simultaneously characterize the near-field and far-field properties of various on-chip nanophotonic structures, here we propose to develop a confocal microscopy and spectroscopy setup. Methods to be employed: Specifically, we will start by building a confocal microscope using infinity-corrected objectives, translation and rotation stages, a large-area deep-cooled camera, along with other optical components. We will then modify the setup Ð by simply adding an extra lens in the optical path Ð which allows us to couple far-field emission into an astigmatism-corrected imaging spectrometer and to directly image the far-field radiation from these nanophotonic devices of interest. The proposed setup will expand our existing experimental capabilities in three ways: (1) it allows us to directly image both near- and far-field emission of nanophotonic devices; (2) it improves our dynamic range in measuring radiation fields by over 20 dB; (3) it improves our spectral resolution by a factor of 4. Significance of the proposed effort to the advancement of knowledge: These new capabilities will greatly benefit our ÒEnergy-efficient Optoelectronics Enabled by Novel Nanophotonic ResonancesÓ program, whose outcome can be of keen interest to the Army and DoD. For example, our project on the demonstration of on-/off-chip couplers with ultra-high energy efficiencies can significantly reduce energy losses in optical interconnects in data centers and DoD communication systems. Our project on demonstrating frequency-agile full-duplex communication and ranging systems that are resistant to eavesdropping and jamming is important to the Army. Overall, this proposed experimental setup will deepen our understanding of nanophotonic devices and, at the same time, potentially generate revolutionary impacts on the future computation, communication, and navigation systems of the Army and DoD at large. This project will also educate future scientists and engineers along its path.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 02, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910350
Entities
People
- Bo Zhen
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- University of Pennsylvania