abstract: This thesis summarizes the research work carried out on design, modeling and simulation of semiconductor nanophotonic devices. The research includes design of nanowire (NW) lasers, modeling of active plasmonic waveguides, design of plasmonic nano-lasers, and design of all-semiconductor plasmonic systems. For the NW part, a comparative study of electrical injection in the longitudinal p-i-n and coaxial p-n core-shell NWs was performed. It is found that high density carriers can be efficiently injected into and confined in the core-shell structure. The required bias voltage and doping concentrations in the core-shell structure are smaller than those in the longitudinal p-i-n structure. A new device structure with core-shell configuration at the p and n contact regions for electrically driven single NW laser was proposed. Through a comprehensive design trade-off between threshold gain and threshold voltage, room temperature lasing has been proved in the laser with low threshold current and large output efficiency. For the plasmonic part, the propagation of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) in a metal-semiconductor-metal structure where semiconductor is highly excited to have an optical gain was investigated. It is shown that near the resonance the SPP mode experiences an unexpected giant modal gain that is 1000 times of the material gain in the semiconductor and the corresponding confinement factor is as high as 105. The physical origin of the giant modal gain is the slowing down of the average energy propagation in the structure. Secondly, SPP modes lasing in a metal-insulator-semiconductor multi-layer structure was investigated. It is shown that the lasing threshold can be reduced by structural optimization. A specific design example was optimized using AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well sandwiched between silver layers. This cavity has a physical volume of 1.5×10-4 λ03 which is the smallest nanolaser reported so far. Finally, the all-semiconductor based plasmonics was studied. It is found that InAs is superior to other common semiconductors for plasmonic application in mid-infrared range. A plasmonic system made of InAs, GaSb and AlSb layers, consisting of a plasmonic source, waveguide and detector was proposed. This on-chip integrated system is realizable in a single epitaxial growth process. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Electrical Engineering 2012

<div><div><div><p>Numerous fundamental quests and technological advances require trapping light waves. Generally, light is trapped by the absence of radiation channels or by forbid- ding access to them. Unconventional bound states of light, called bound states in the continuum (BICs), have recently gained tremendous interest due to their peculiar and extreme capabilities of trapping light in open structures with access to radiation. A BIC is a localized state of an open structure with access to radiation channels, yet it remains highly confined with, in theory, infinite lifetime and quality factor. There have been many realizations of such exceptional states in dielectric systems without loss. However, realizing BICs in lossy systems such as those in plasmonics remains a challenge. This thesis explores the realization of BICs in a hybrid plasmonic-photonic structure consisting of a plasmonic grating coupled to a dielectric optical waveguide with diverging radiative quality factors. The plasmonic-photonic system supports two distinct groups of BICs: symmetry protected BICs and Friedrich-Wintgen BICs. The photonic waveguide modes are strongly coupled to the gap plasmons in the grating leading to an avoided crossing behavior with a high value of Rabi splitting of 150 meV . Additionally, it is shown that the strong coupling significantly alters the band diagram of the hybrid system, revealing opportunities for supporting stopped light at an off-Γ wide angular span.</p><p>In another study, we demonstrate the design of a BIC-based all-dielectric metasurface and its application as a nanolaser. Metasurfaces have received an ever-growing interest due to their unprecedented ability to control light using subwavelength structures arranged in an ultrathin planar profile. However, the spectral response of meta- surfaces is generally broad, limiting their use in applications requiring high quality (Q) factors. In this study, we design, fabricate, and optically characterize metasur- faces with very high Q-factors operating near the BIC regime. The metasurfaces are coated with an organic lasing dye as an active medium, and their lasing action is experimentally characterized. The proposed BIC-based metasurfaces nanolaser have very favorable characteristics including low threshold, easily tunable resonances, polarization-independent response, and room temperature operation.</p><div><div><div><p>The second part of the thesis deals with the nonlinear phenomenon in nanopho- tonic structures. We developed an advanced full-wave framework to model nonlinear light-matter interactions. Rate equations, describing atomic relaxations and excita- tion dynamics, are coupled to the Maxwell equations using a Lorentzian oscillator that models the kinetics-dependent light-matter interaction in the form of averaged polarization. The coupled equations are discretized in space and time using a finite- difference time-domain method that provides a versatile multiphysics framework for designing complex structures and integrating diverse material models. The proposed framework is used to study gain dynamics in silver nanohole array, reverse saturable absorption dynamic in optical limiters, and saturable absorption in random lasers. This framework provides critical insights into the design of photonic devices and their complementary optical characterization, and serve as an invaluable utility for guiding the development of synthetic materials. It allows accurate physics-based numerical modeling and optimization of the devices with complex micro- and nano-structured materials and complex illumination sources such as non-paraxial structured beams.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div>

Complex systems are ensembles of interconnected elements where mutual interaction and an optimized amount of disorder produce advanced functionalities. These systems are abundant in our daily experience: typical examples are the brain, biological ecosystems, society, and finance. In the last century, researchers have investigated the fundamental properties of disordered systems, unveiling fascinating and counterintuitive dynamics. The main aim of this Dissertation is the study of a new platform of disorder-enhanced photonics systems, denoted as Complex Metamaterials. Due to its ultrafast time scale nanophotonics represents an ideal framework to investigate and harness complex dynamics. Starting from the theoretical modeling of disordered plasmonic systems, I discuss advanced real-life applications, including the generation of highly-resistant structural colors from porous metal surfaces and the realization of early-stage cancer detectors based on surface roughness and self-similarity. In addition to the effects of structural disorder on plasmonic systems I also investigate the complex emission dynamics from non-conventional nanolasers. Lasers represent the quintessential example of a complex photonic system due to the simultaneous presence of strong nonlinearities and multi-mode interactions. At the same time, the integration of nanolasers with silicon-based electronic circuitry represents one of the greatest technological challenges in the field of nanophotonics. By combining ab-initio simulations and analytical modeling, I characterize the nonlinear emission from three-dimensional plasmonic nanolasers known as SPASERs. My results show for the first time the occurrence of a spontaneous rotational emission in spherical SPASERs, which originates from the nonlinear interaction of several lasing modes. I further discuss how rotating nanolasers can be employed as a fundamental building block for integrated quantum simulators, random information sources, and brain-inspired photonics platforms. Leveraging the practical limitations of SPASERs, I also propose a novel concept of near-field nanolaser based on invisible anapole modes. Anapoles constitute a peculiar state of electromagnetic radiation with no far-field emission and they have been recently discovered in dielectric nanoparticles. By integrating anapole lasers in a silicon-compatible platform, I discuss several advanced applications such as spontaneously polarized nanolasers and ultrafast pulse generators on-chip.

abstract: Semiconductor nanolasers, as a frontier subject has drawn a great deal of attention over the past decade. Semiconductor nanolasers are compatible with on-chip integrations towards the ultimate realization of photonic integrated circuits. However, innovative approaches are strongly required to overcome the limitation of lattice-mismatch issues. In this dissertation, two alternative approaches are employed to overcome the lattice-mismatch issues. i) By taking advantage of nanowires or nanobelts techniques, flexibility in bandgap engineering has been greatly expanded, resulting in the nanolasers with wide wavelength coverage and tunability. Simultaneous two-color lasing in green and red is firstly achieved from monolithic cadmium sulfide selenide nanosheets. The wavelength separation is up to 97 nm at room temperature, larger than the gain bandwidth of a single semiconductor material in the visible wavelength range. The strategies adopted for two-color lasers eventually leads to the realization of simultaneous red, green and blue lasing and white lasing from a single zinc cadmium sulfide selenide nanosheet with color tunability in the full visible range, making a major milestone in the ultimate solution of laser illumination and laser display. In addition, with the help of nanowire techniques, material emission has been extended to mid-infrared range, enabling lasing at ~3µm from single lead sulfide subwavelength wires at 180 K. The cavity volume of the subwavelength laser is down to 0.44 λ3 and the wavelength tuning range is over 270 nm through the thermo-optic mechanism, exhibiting considerable potentials for on-chip applications in mid-infrared wavelength ranges. ii) By taking advantage of membrane transfer techniques, heterogeneous integration of compound semiconductor and waveguide material becomes possible, enabling the successful fabrication of membrane based nano-ring lasers on a dielectric substrate. Thin membranes with total thickness of ~200nm are first released from the original growth substrate and then transferred onto a receiving substrate through a generally applicable membrane transfer method. Nano-ring arrays are then defined by photolithography with an individual radius of 750 nm and a radial thickness of 400-500 nm. As a result, single mode lasing is achieved on individual nano-ring lasers at ~980 nm with cavity volumes down to 0.24 λ3, providing a general avenue for future heterogeneous integration of nanolasers on silicon substrates. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2016

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<p>Plasmonics with the capability to harness electromagnetic waves at a nanoscale can be utilized for multitude of applications in ultra-compact miniature optical devices. Plasmonic metasurfaces which are artificially designed sub-wavelength structures have gained unprecedented interest in being able to engineer and effectively modulate the amplitude and phase of the incident wave. Introducing randomness to such plasmonic metasurfaces can also advance possibilities for extraordinary wave manipulation. Hence, by exploiting the plasmonic response of the ordered and disordered metasurfaces, we can design high performance devices for nanoscale optics.</p> <p>Aiming to provide a holistic solution to the current device limitations and bio-compatibility, my research focuses on non-toxic and environment-friendly coloration using plasmonic disordered metasurfaces. These structures generate a broad range of long-lasting colors in reflection that can be applied to real-life artistic or technological applications with a spatial resolution on the order of 0.3 mm or less. Moreover, my research also deals with the possibility of even concentrating energy in the smallest phase-space volume in optics in the form of coherent radiation through designing nanolasers. The study of carrier dynamics and photophysics of the gain media can be extremely beneficial towards the practicability of these lasers. This work elucidates the evolution of different competing mechanisms for coherent lasing. The dynamic study and experimental demonstration of these devices and respective materials can therefore provide a novel aspect to fundamental and applied research.</p>