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La miniaturisation des composants CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) et MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) a permis la réalisation de capteurs d'images de faible taille et à forte densité de pixels pour répondre à la demande d'imageurs faible coût. Classiquement, la grande densité de pixels est obtenue en réduisant simplement la taille des pixels. Cependant, cette réduction de taille détériore l'efficacité optique d'absorption des pixels, ce qui impose alors un compromis définissant une taille minimum de pixel. Les pixels ont aujourd'hui une taille de l'ordre de la longueur d'onde, et les systèmes de filtres de couleur qui eux aussi induisent parallèlement des pertes optiques, devraient être revus, de nouvelles méthodes de séparation spectrale devant être envisagées. Cette thèse explore diverses techniques pouvant être utilisées pour trier différentes longueurs d'ondes, principalement dans le lointain infrarouge (8µm-12µm) et dans le visible (0.4µm-0.7µm) vers les pixels adéquats, supprimant ainsi les pertes traditionnelles par filtrage (par absorption ou réflexion).Nous introduisons le concept de tri spectral basé sur la NOE (normalized optical efficiency), qui est le ratio de l'absorption d'un pixel sur l'énergie totale incidente sur un ensemble de pixels. Pour un nombre donné N de pixels d'une sous-matrice de l'imageur (matrice de Bayer), le phénomène de tri spectral a lieu lorsque le NOE de chaque pixel est supérieur à 1/N. Nous étudions tout d'abord par simulation optique des antennes patch de différentes tailles pour trier efficacement la lumière infrarouge. Le réseau d'antennes a été fabriqué et caractérisé dans la plateforme technologique du CEA-LETI pour valider l'étude théorique. Nous rapportons ensuite une étude sur l'utilisation de 2 structures MSM (metal-semiconductor-metal) pour atteindre une absorption supérieure à 50% à 2 longueurs d'ondes dans un détecteur Silicium. Finalement, nous présentons notre étude finale sur une structure multicouche assistée par réseau pour le tri spectral dans le visible, qui permettrait de réduire la taille des pixels dans les imageurs visibles sous le seuil du micron tout en améliorant l'efficacité d'absorption. Nous avons déduit une compréhension de la stratégie de design de telles structures de tri, et présentons une structure de tri conçue pour réaliser du tri spectral avec une efficacité de l'ordre de 80% pour des pixels de taille inférieure à 0,5µm. / The advancement and scaling effect in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology has made possible to make smaller image sensors with higher density of imaging pixels to respond at the demand of low cost imagers. Generally, the higher pixel density in imaging system is achieved by shrinking the size of each pixel in an array. The shrinking of pixel dimension however deteriorates the optical efficiency and therefore impose the tradeoff between the performance and minimum achievable pixel size. As the pixel size continues to shrink and approach the dimensions comparable to the wavelength, the spectral separation techniques used in current generation imaging system should be revised and new design methodologies have to be explored. This dissertation explored different techniques that could be used to efficiently sort the band of different wavelengths, mainly in far-infrared (8µm - 12µm) and visible (0.4 µm – 0.7 µm) spectrum in different spatial locations. We introduced the concept of spectral sorting based on normalized optical efficiency (NOE). For given number of pixels (N) or detectors, we define the phenomenon of sorting if NOE of individual pixels, considering incidence power from all pixel domain, is greater than 1/N. First we study differently sized optical patch antenna to efficiently sort the infrared light in different spatial locations using numerical techniques. Using array of such antennas we find the near perfect absorption of multiple wavelengths in infrared spectrum. The antenna arrays are fabricated and characterized in CEA-LETI platform to validate our study. We also report our study on using two differently sized Metal-Semiconductor-Metal (MSM) nanostructures to achieve absorption higher than 50% in individual silicon detector for visible spectrum. Finally we present our study on grating based dielectric multilayer structure for sorting of visible light which could enable to shrink the pixel size of visible imaging system to submicron dimension. We derived the comprehensive design strategy of such sorting structure and present the sorting structure designed to achieve optical efficiency as high as 80% in pixel size of as less as 0.5µm.

The field of plasmonics has offered the promise to combine electronics and photonics at the nanometer scale for ultrafast information processing speeds and compact integration of devices. Various plasmonic waveguide schemes were proposed with the potential to achieve switching functionalities and densely integrated circuits using optical signals instead of electrons. Among these, the hybrid plasmonic waveguide stands out thanks to two sought-out properties: long propagation lengths and strong modal confinement. In this work, hybrid plasmonic waveguides and passive devices were theoretically investigated and experimentally demonstrated on an integrated silicon platform. A thin SiO2 gap between a gold conductive layer and a silicon core provides subwavelength confinement of light inside the gap. A long propagation length of 40µm was experimentally measured. A system of taper coupler connects the plasmonic waveguide to conventional photonic waveguides at a high efficiency of 80%. Passive devices were also fabricated and characterized, including S-bends and Y-splitters. / Microsystems and Nanodevices

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-126).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2008. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-162). Also available online in Scholars' Bank; and in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.

The physical processes shaping laser plasma dynamics take place on length scales ranging from the microscopic (1 ångström) to the macroscopic realms (µm). Microscopic field fluctuations due to the motions of individual plasma charges evolve on an atomic scale. Collisional effects influencing thermalization and ionization processes depend on the plasma fields on an atomic level. Simultaneously, collective processes such as plasma oscillations take place on a mesoscopic length scale of many-nm. The macroscopic realm is ultimately determined by the laser which typically spans hundreds of nm to a few µm. Consequently, ab-initio modelling of laser plasma dynamics requires the resolution of length scales from 1Å to multiple µm. As such, in order to bridge the microscopic and macroscopic length scales of light-matter interaction, in is necessary to account for the individual motions of up to ~10^11 particles. This is a not an insignificant undertaking. Until recently, approaches to numerical modelling of light-matter interactions were limited to MD and PIC, each with their own limitations. MicPIC has been developed to fill the gap left by MD and PIC but so far has not been adapted for scalable parallel processing on large distributed memory machines. Thus, its full potential was not able to be fully realized until now. This thesis presents the massively parallel MicPIC method capable of bridging the micro- and macroscopic realms. A wide range of applications that have heretofore not been accessible to theory or, at best, had limited applicability are now open for thorough investigation. Among these are nonlinear nanophotonics, quantum nanophotonics, laser machining, ab-initio dynamics of strongly coupled plasmas, high-harmonic generation, electron and x-ray sources, and optical switching. Two of the first applications of parallel MicPIC to a selection of such problems are shown and discussed below, demonstrating the applicability of the method to a wide variety of newly accessible strong field laser-plasma physics phenomena.

Nanophotonics is a booming field of research with the promise of chip-scale devices which harness the tremendous potency of light. In this regard, surface plasmons have shown great potential for confining and manipulating light at extreme sub-wavelength scales. Advances in fabrication technology have enabled the scientific community to realize metasurfaces with unconventional properties that push the limits of possible applications of light. This thesis is comprised of computational and experimental studies on plasmonic metasurfaces. The computational study presents efficient design principles for plasmonic half-wave plates using L-shaped nanoantennas. These principles can be used to design waveplates at an operating wavelength of choice and for specific application requirements. The impact of this study goes beyond the efficient design of waveplates: it provides useful insights into the Physics of L-shaped nanoantenna arrays which have been proposed as building blocks for plasmonic metasurfaces. The experimental work investigates the interaction of a plasmonic metasurface, composed of dipole antenna arrays, with an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material. This work thus forms a bridge between plasmonics and ENZ materials science, which is a rapidly advancing field in its own right. The first experimental study investigates the exciting unconventional response of plasmonic dipole antennas when placed on a thin indium tin oxide (ITO) film near its ENZ wavelength of 1417 nm. The antenna-on-ITO system has split resonances whose spectral positions are largely independent of the antenna dimensions. The resonance splitting occurs due to coupling between the antenna resonance and the ENZ mode of the ITO film. This coupling results in field intensity enhancements on the order of a 100 in the ITO film. The second experimental study demonstrates, using the z-scan method, that this large field enhancement in the antenna-on-ITO structure further enhances the already strong nonlinearity of ITO around its ENZ wavelength. In particular, the antenna-on-ITO structure exhibits an extremely large nonlinear absorption coefficient, which is two orders of magnitude larger than that of a bare ITO film, and three to five orders of magnitude larger than that of many other nonlinear materials. This thesis thus constitutes a beautiful blend of three thriving areas of research: plasmonics, ENZ materials science and nonlinear optics. The findings reported here have the potential to contribute to all of these fields, and thus have relevance to a broad spectrum of optical scientists.

Thesis advisor: Michael J. Naughton / The nanoscale coaxial cable (nanocoax) has demonstrated sub-diffraction-limited optical confinement in the visible and the near infrared, with the theoretical potential for confinement to scales arbitrarily smaller than the free space wavelength. In the first part of this thesis, I define in clear terms what the diffraction limit is. The conventional resolution formulae used by many are generally only valid in the paraxial limit. I performed a parametric numerical study, employing techniques of Fourier optics, to resolve precisely what that limit should be for nonparaxial (i.e. wide angle) focusing of scalar spherical waves. I also present some novel analytical formulae born out of Debye’s approximation which explain the trends found in the numeric study. These new functional forms remain accurate under wide angle focusing and could materially improve the performance, for example, in high intensity focused ultrasound surgery by further concentrating the power distributed within the point spread function to suppress the side lobes. I also comment of some possible connections to the focusing of electromagnetic waves. In the second part of this thesis I report on a novel fabrication process which yields optically addressable, sub-micron scale, and high aspect ratio metal-insulator-metal nanocoaxes made by atomic layer deposition of Pt and Al2O3. I discuss the observation of optical transmission via the fundamental, TEM-like mode by excitation with a radially polarized optical vortex beam. Also, Laguerre-Gauss beams are shown to overlap well with cylindrical waveguide modes in the nanocoax. My experimental results are based on interrogation with a polarimetric imager and a near-field scanning optical microscope. Various optical apparatus I built during my studies are also reviewed. Numerical simulations were used with uniaxial symmetry to explore 3D adiabatic taper geometries much larger than the wavelength. Finally, I draw some conclusions by assessing the optical performance of the fabricated nanocoaxial structures, and by giving some insights into future directions of investigation. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Silicon photonics is a powerful technological platform that has advanced with gigantic steps during the past 20 years. Its applications range from the nanoscale, with biosensing and spectroscopy, all the way to the macroscale, with optical fiber communications and on-chip Lidar. However, its commercialization is still hindered by the lack of a cost-effective and automatable chip packaging approaches. At the same time, the current multiplexing techniques to increase the bandwidth density of optical communication networks are hitting their theoretical capacity limits. This has pushed the community to look for additional spatial data transmission paths through a common optical fiber. At the smaller end of the size scale, the controlled self-assembly of nanoparticles is the holy grail of nanotechnologists around the globe. Great advances towards this goal have been demonstrated, but most of the time it is hard to simultaneously control the many variables involved in the self-assembly processes. Silicon photonics and compatible wave guiding techniques are the ideal platform to address these issues thanks to their ability of controlling light in the nanoscale. Regarding the macroscale, this dissertation presents approaches based on micro 3D printing to overcome the silicon photonics packaging bottleneck and to access additional spatial channels to increase the bandwidth density of optical communication channels. Section 2.2 presents the plug-and-play coupling of fibers to waveguides, where a 3D printed optical-mechanical micro connector is defined directly on top of a silicon photonics chip. This connector has such a relaxed alignment tolerance, that even the coarse precision of industrial automated assembly tools is enough to automatically couple a fiber to the waveguide in a robust and passive way. Section 2.3 shows another 3D printed micro coupler design. This coupler optically bridges between the higher order modes of a multimode silicon waveguide and those of a few-mode fiber. These higher order modes can carry different streams of information at the same wavelength, effectively increasing the amount of data transmitted through the same physical channel. Regarding the nanoscale world, there is a very popular but not completely well understood self-assembly technique called evaporative self-assembly. For the past couple of decades scientists have been trying to harness it to deposit controlled patterns of nanostructures (ranging from inorganic nanoparticles to biological elements). The problem with this technique is that several of the physical variables involved in the evaporative self-assembly process are coupled to each other, making it difficult to precisely control the particle deposition. Section 3.3 shows a way of depositing a periodic pattern of gold nanoparticle clusters along the top of a silicon photonics waveguide by assisting the evaporative self-assembly process with optofluidic transport of particles. The particle trapping and transport along a waveguide is possible thanks to the strong optical forces in the immediate vicinity of the waveguide core. With this approach, the evaporative self-assembly deposition pattern periodicity can be controlled simply by tuning only one knob: the input laser power.

Plasmonics is an important branch of nanophotonics and is the study of the interaction of electromagnetic fields with the free electrons in a metal at metallic/dielectric interfaces or in small metallic nanostructures. The electric component of an exciting electromagnetic field can induce collective electron oscillations known as surface plasmons. Such oscillations lead to the localization of the fields that can be at sub-wavelength scale and to its significant enhancement relative to the excitation fields. These two characteristics of localization and enhancement are the main components that allow for the guiding and manipulation of light beyond the diffraction limit. This thesis focuses on developing plasmonic devices for near and far-field applications. In the first part of the thesis, we demonstrate the detection of single point mutation in peptides from multicomponent mixtures for early breast cancer detection using selfsimilar chain (SCC) plasmonic devices that show high field enhancement and localization. In the second part of this work, we investigate the anomalous reflection of light for TM polarization for normal and oblique incidence in the visible regime. We propose gradient phase gap surface plasmon (GSP) metasurfaces that exhibit high conversion efficiency (up to ∼97% of total reflected light) to the anomalous reflection angle for blue, green and red wavelengths at normal and oblique incidence. In the third part of the thesis, we present a theoretical approach to narrow the plasmon linewidth and enhance the near-field intensity at a plasmonic dimer gap (hot spot) through coupling the electric localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance of a silver hemispherical dimer with the resonant modes of a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity. In the fourth part of this work, we demonstrate numerically bright color pixels that are highly polarized and broadly tuned using periodic arrays of metal nanosphere dimers on a glass substrate. In the fifth and final part of the thesis, we propose numerically an approach to narrow the plasmon linewidth and enhance the magnetic near field intensity at a magnetic hot spot in a hybridized metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure. The computational method used throughout the thesis is the finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD).