Home Page Researchers Dan
Department of Applied Physics
School of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Science
The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
Tel: +972-2-6584851; Fax: +972-2-6584844
The research activities carried out at the Photonic Devices Lab are focused on realization of devices and subsystems for applications in optical communications. The functionality offered by exemplary devices can be very diverse; from light generation and detection, to modulation, filtering and switching solutions, as well as an enabler for nonlinear interactions. The target application dictates the wavelength range of interest to be in the near infrared (more specifically in the telecom important range of 1.3-1.6x10-6m), due to the favorable light guiding capability of optical fibers in that range. Two Lab activities are nano-technology intensive.
One of the research activities carried out at our lab involves the development of a polymer waveguide technology for guiding near-IR light. This polymer waveguide activity has been chosen as a suitable host for doping with semiconductor nanocrystals. The rational for combining the light-guiding polymers and semiconductor nanocrystals is the creation of a platform for guided-wave devices that can harness the active properties of the nanocrystals. After an intensive process development, conducted at the Unit for NanoFabrication, we have now stabilized the fabrication process, utilizing spin coating of polymers, temperature curing, thin oxide depositions, photolithography, and reactive ion etching. In addition we have mastered the sample preparations, including glass wafer capping, dicing, end polishing, and optical coupling in and out. Exemplary devices are being tested, and propagation parameters are extracted.
Left: Image of a ridge waveguide with cross section of 1.66?m X 1.8?m after RIE process. Right: Microscope Image of diced edge polish. (b) Magnified image of a PFCB core with waveguide cross section of 1.5?mX2?m.
A second research activity within our lab is the design, fabrication, testing, and utilization of a custom MEMS chip to be used in conjunction of a spectral phase and amplitude modulator. The chip has been fabricated at Sandia National Laboratories, but the mirror metallization process was conducted at the nano center. The MEMS chip has been fully characterized in our lab and is now being put to system experiments, demonstrating adaptive filtering applications.
Left: Interferometric microscope image of MEMS spatial light modulator for spectral phase and amplitude modulation. Right: SEM images showing mirror and actuator detail.
Specific research topics related to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology:
- Polymer/nanocrystal composites: Homogeneous dispersal of nanocrystals. Control of loading ratios. Preserving optical activity of nanocrystals. Poling of nanocrystals to obtain ensemble behavior.
- Functional devices: Waveguide structures for in-line gain. Optical cavities for lasing. Electric-field application for EO-effect. Mach-Zehnder modulation. Nonlinear wave-mixing in single waveguide and waveguide arrays.
- MEMS devices: Fabrication, post processing, and packaging activities.
- A. Adler, Y. Glaser, M. Bin-Nun, and D. M. Marom, "High Index Contrast Polymer Optical Waveguides," Optical Engineering and Science in Israel (OASIS), Mar. 2011.
- J. Dunayevsky, D. Sinefeld, and D. M. Marom, "MEMS spatial light modulator for spectral phase and amplitude modulation," Optical Engineering and Science in Israel (OASIS), Mar. 2011.
- J. Dunayevsky and D. M. Marom, "MEMS spatial light modulator for spectral phase and amplitude modulation," Conference on Lasers and Electro-optics (CLEO '11), Baltimore, MD, May 2011.
- A. Adler and D. M. Marom, "High Index Contrast Polymer Optical Waveguides," Conference on Lasers and Electro-optics (CLEO '11), Baltimore, MD, May 2011.
- J. Dunayevsky and D. M. Marom, "MEMS spatial light modulator for spectral phase and amplitude modulation," Optical MEMS and Nanophotonics (OMN) 2011, Istanbul, Turkey
Y. Dunayevsky and D. M. Marom, "MEMS spatial light modulator for phase and amplitude modulation of spectrally dispersed light" in final revision to JMEMS.
List of Students :
MSc. Students: Moran Bin Nun, Yedidia Lior
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