The aim of this project is to fabricate highly efficient grating couplers in thin-film silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, which have a silicon (Si) thickness of the order of 1 mum. These thin-film waveguides allow the development of higher speed Si optical modulators, sensors and vertical surface coupling for Si light emitting diodes (LEDs), Hence, SOI rectangular and blazed grating couplers were fabricated where the buried oxide layer in SOI was designed as a reflective layer. The former gratings were fabricated by electron beam lithography followed by reactive ion etching, while the latter gratings were fabricated by angled argon ion beam etching. Both types of grating were designed at the diffraction order of -1, for a wavelength of 1.3 mum. The fabricated rectangular gratings have grating heights of 0.14, 0.23, 0.30 and 0.44 mum and a pitch of 0.40 mum whereas the sawtooth blazed gratings have a grating depth of 0.08 mum and a period of 0.38 mum To our knowledge, no Si blazed gratings with a pitch of less than 500 nm have been fabricated before. The SOI rectangular grating couplers yield a maximum output efficiency of 71 +/- 5 % towards the superstrate, while the blazed grating couplers produce an output efficiency of 84 +/- 5 % towards the substrate. These experimental output efficiencies are the highest yet reported in SOI for each grating profile, respectively. In addition, an optical loss of 0.15 +/- 0.05 dB/cm of Unibond SOI was measured for the first time. Furthermore, the experimental output efficiencies of the grating couplers with various grating heights were found to be consistent with perturbation theory. Thus, our aim of designing and fabricating an highly efficient thin film SOI waveguide grating coupler has been achieved. These grating couplers may enhance the applications of integrated optics in Si, and may allow the development of devices such as those mentioned above.

The fundamental limits of electronic systems in communication networks motivated scholars to think of an alternative approach to overcome problems such as demand for wider bandwidths and heat dissipation. All-optical signal processing is demonstrated as a potential solution. A major improvement in cost and speed of networking systems is expected through replacing microelectronics by photonic chips. However, the variety of operations essential to perform all-optical signal processing cannot be handled by a single material platform yet. Several III-V semiconductors, such as AlGaAs, have demonstrated potentials for photonic integration; nevertheless, there is still lack of data in literature on nonlinear optical properties of these materials. In this thesis, we extend the quest to evaluate more candidates from this class of semiconductors. Moreover, we are aiming for demonstrating the potentials of various III-V compounds for nonlinear photonics on-a-chip. In this thesis, we propose several optical waveguide designs based on quaternary III-V semiconductors AlGaAsSb and InGaAsP. We present modal analysis for waveguide designs and show that effective mode area much less than 1 $\mu m^{2}$ can be obtained. We also report specific waveguide designs that display zero-dispersion points at the specific wavelength ranges of interest. The designed waveguides are thus expected to demonstrate efficient nonlinear optical interactions. Next step is the fabrication of these devices with the goal to experimentally assess their nonlinear optical performance. The fabrication process of InGaAsP/InP strip-loaded waveguide is briefly reviewed. Following that, we report on the first, to the best of our knowledge, demonstration of third-order nonlinear optical interactions in InGaAsP/InP strip-loaded waveguides. We have performed self-phase modulation, nonlinear absorption measurements, and four-wave mixing experiments at the telecom wavelength range. The nonlinear phase shift up to 2.5 $\pi$ has been observed. Following that, we use Monte-Carlo method for design optimization and tolerance analysis of a multi-step lateral taper Spot-Size Converter in indium phosphide. An exemplary four-step lateral taper design featuring 0.35 dB coupling loss at optimal alignment of a standard single-mode fiber, $>$7 $\mu m$ 1-dB displacement tolerance in any direction of in a facet plane, and a great stability against manufacturing variances demonstrated.

This dissertation is composed of 5 chapters detailing advances in the synthesis and post-modification of polymers using tetrazines. The research described herein conveys three new discoveries each of which should forge new fields of research concerning tetrazines in polymer chemistry, that is the use of tetrazines as chemical blowing agents in generating polymer foams, as agents for incorporating large concentrations of antioxidants into polymers, and their attachment to polymers, adding a photodegradable functional unit which alters the refractive index of the materials after degradation. The first chapter is a review which highlights the use of tetrazines in polymer chemistry as repeat units incorporated into polymers, tools for post-modification, and cross-linkers for the formation of gels. Tetrazines are unique molecules which been utilized in many different types of materials. Their tetra-azo core has provided the basis for preparing high energetic explosive materials, and the high nitrogen content has also been exploited in metal chelating polymers. Being highly electron deficient, the tetrazine ring has found use in donor – acceptor (D – A) copolymers for use in polymer solar cells (PSCs). Its ability to undergo an irreversible cycloaddition reaction without the requirement of metal catalysis, has created an entire field of research in bioorthogonal ligation and has also found use in polymer chain extension, post-modification, and gel formation. The versatility of the tetrazine ring is demonstrated in this review with the shear variety of its applications in polymer chemistry. The second chapter reports on the discovery of 3,6-dichloro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine's (DCT) use as a chemical blowing agent in preparing polymer foams. This discovery demonstrates the first reported use of tetrazines as chemical blowing agents, and the production of a new class of polymers foams through exploitation of this chemistry. Nitrogen is released from a cycloaddition reaction between DCT and polybutadiene (PBD). As the reaction proceeds, the foam grows and increases in viscosity eventually setting up into a solid material. The product of the cycloaddition reaction, a dihydropyridazine ring, is demonstrated to provide the foams with a built-in antioxidant, and a change in fluorescence of the foams provides indication for extent of oxidation. Also in this chapter, a new method is proposed for comparing antioxidant properties of small molecules, and two dihydropyridazines are shown to outperform commercial antioxidant BHT with this method. Chapter 3 follows up on the results from the previous chapter, with the synthesis of four new polymers through solution-based cycloaddition reactions between dimethyl 1,2,4,5-tetrazine-3,6-dicarboxylate (DMDT) and PBD. Near quantitative conversions results in the formation of two new classes of dihydropyridazine polymers, providing an entirely new class of polymer which contains its own built-in antioxidant on nearly every repeat unit along the polymer backbone. Oxidation of these materials results in an additional 2 new classes of heteroaromatic pyridazine polymers reported for the first time in this chapter. The properties of these new materials are reported and the antioxidant properties of the dihydropyridazine ring are further explored through cyclic voltammetry (CV). Quenching of fluorescence is observed upon oxidation of the materials, providing a visual indicator for extent of oxidation, and an explanation for the quenching is also provide through CV analysis. Chapter 4 diverges from tetrazine IEDDA modification of polybutadienes and instead focuses on the post-modification of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) with DCT to generate photobleachable materials. This chapter represents the first reported use of tetrazine photobleaching in modifying the optical properties of polymers, and the generation of a new copolymer containing pendant tetrazine repeat units. The modified copolymer is demonstrated to be solvent processable, but crosslinks upon heat treatment. Extended UV or ambient light excitation of the copolymer results in degradation of the tetrazine ring and bleaching of the polymer. A refractive index change for the polymer is observed after degradation, leading to the hypothesis that these polymers may find use in optical waveguide materials. Finally, chapter 5 provides a summation of the dissertation and discusses unfinished projects that can be pursued further by future Loy group graduate students.

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Waveguides in Euclidian space are piecewise path connected subsets of R^n that can be written as the union of a compact domain with boundary and their cylindrical ends. The compact and non-compact parts share a common boundary. This boundary is assumed to be Lipschitz, piecewise smooth and piecewise path connected. The ends can be thought of as the cartesian product of the boundary with the positive real half-line. A notable feature of Euclidian waveguides is that the scattering matrix admits a meromorphic continuation to a certain Riemann surface with a countably infinite number of leaves [2], which we will describe in detail and deal with. In order to construct this meromorphic continuation, one usually first constructs a meromorphic continuation of the resolvent for the Laplace operator. In order to do this, we will use a well known glueing construction (see for example [5]), which we adapt to waveguides. The construction makes use of the meromorphic Fredholm theorem and the fact that the resolvent for the Neumann Laplace operator on the ends of the waveguide can be easily computed as an integral kernel. The resolvent can then be used to construct generalised eigenfunctions and, from them, the scattering matrix. Being in possession of the scattering matrix allows us to calculate resonances; poles of the scattering matrix. We are able to do this using a combination of numerical contour integration and Newton s method.

A guided-wave THz System-on-Chip (TSoC) is emerging as an attractive alternative to the routine free-space THz systems to reduce physical bulk, propagation loss, pulse dispersion and cost of free-space THz systems. Recently, our research group succeeded in demonstrating a novel waveguided TSoC based on the coplanar stripline (CPS) transmission lines on a 1 µm-thin Silicon Nitride membrane. The novelty of this membrane-based platform was bonding the transmitter and receiver directly on the transmission line to eliminate the radiation loss by the routine THz optics. Besides, the delicate thin-membrane dramatically reduces the dielectric loss of the platform which results in low-loss and low-dispersion THz-bandwidth pulses. This Ph.D. dissertation presents the first end-to-end TSoC components that were designed and fabricated using the CPS transmission lines on 1 µm-thin Si3N4 membranes. These components are integrated into a TSoC by bending or connecting different impedance CPS transmission-line sections. We demonstrate four passive TSoC components: THz low-pass filter (TLPF), THz power divider (TPD), THz apodized Bragg grating (TABG) and THz branch-line coupler (TBLC). One of the most significant gains from this work is the assurance that more complex TSoCs can be designed and fabricated using this membrane-platform based on the strong agreement between simulation and experimental results. / Graduate / 2021-12-01

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Applications of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) have thus far emphasized visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Extension into the long-wave infrared (LWIR) has numerous potential advantages for biosensors and waveguides, which are explored in this work. A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor that operates deep into the infrared (3-11 µm wavelengths) is potentially capable of biomolecule recognition based on both selective binding and characteristic vibrational modes. The goal is to operate such sensors at wavelengths where biological analytes are strongly differentiated by their IR absorption spectra and where the refractive index is increased by dispersion, which will provide enhanced selectivity and sensitivity. Potentially useful IR surface plasmon resonances are investigated on lamellar gratings formed from various materials with plasma frequencies in the IR wavelength range including doped semiconductors, semimetals, and conducting polymers. One outcome of this work has been the demonstration of a simple analytic formula for calculating the SPP absorption resonances in the angular reflectance spectra of gratings. It is demonstrated for Ag lamellar gratings in the 6-11 µm wavelength range. The recipe is semi-empirical, requiring knowledge of a surface-impedance modulation amplitude, which is found here by comparison to experiment as a function of the grating groove depth and the wavelength. The optimum groove depth for photon-to-SPP energy conversion was found by experiment and calculation to be ~10-15% of the wavelength. Hemicylindrical prism couplers formed from Si or Ge were investigated as IR surface plasmon couplers for the biosensor application. Strong Fabry-Perot oscillations in the angular reflectance spectra for these high index materials suggest that grating couplers will be more effective for this application in the LWIR. A variety of materials having IR plasma frequencies were investigated due to the tighter SPP mode confinement anticipated in the IR than for traditional noble metals. First doped-Si and metal silicides (Ni, Pd, Pt and Ti) were investigated due to their inherent CMOS compatibility. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry and four point probe measurements complemented the optical characterization by ellipsometry. Calculation of propagation length and mode confinement from measured permittivities demonstrated the suitability for these materials for LWIR SPP applications. Semimetals were also investigated since their plasma frequencies are intermediate between those of doped silicon and metal silicides. The semimetal antimony, with a plasma frequency ~80 times less than that of gold was characterized. Relevant IR surface plasmon properties, including the propagation length and penetration depths for SPP fields, were determined from optical constants measured in the LWIR. Distinct resonances due to SPP generation were observed in angular reflection spectra of Sb lamellar gratings in the wavelength range of 6 to 11 µm. Though the real part of the permittivity is positive in this range, which violates the usual condition for the existence of bound SPP modes, calculations based on experimental permittivity showed that there is little to distinguish bound from unbound SPP modes for this material. The SPP mode decays exponentially away from the surface on both sides of the permittivity sign change. Water is found to broaden the IR plasmon resonances significantly at 9.25 micron wavelength where aqueous extinction is large. Much sharper resonances for water based IR SPR biosensor can be achieved in the 3.5 to 5.5 µm range. Nano-structured Au films (Au-black) were investigated as IR absorbers and possible solar cell enhancers based on surface plasmon resonance. The characteristic length scales of the structured films vary considerably as a function of deposition parameters, but the absorbance is found to be only weakly correlated with these distributions. Structured Au-black with a broad range of cluster length scales appear to be able to support multiple SPP modes with incident light coupling to the corrugated surface as seen by photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) and SPR experiments, supporting the hypothesis that Au-black may be a suitable material for plasmon-resonance enhancement solar-cell efficiency over the broad solar spectrum.

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No description available.