Abstract

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are attracting attention in a wide range of applications due to their superior performance over traditional discrete photonic devices. However, the development of PICs is bottlenecked by the integration of different fundamental building blocks. High sensitivity and diverse material properties hinder the realization of a monolithic photonic integrated circuit platform. High-efficiency solutions for photonic device integration are critical for making high-performance and low-cost devices. The objective of this work is to demonstrate high-efficiency optimization methods for a comprehensive photonic integrated chip system. This work analyzes the transition of optical signal waves between each component in a PIC and optimizes the efficiency while using cost-effective methods. Specifically, we present a plasmonic vertical coupler for out-of-plane fiber coupling with a compact footprint, and an efficient edge coupling method that provides ¡ 3dB connector-to-connector loss, a bi-layer grating coupler optimized for III-V photodiode detection that achieved more than 70% coupling efficiency, and an electro-optic modulator that has optimal optical or electrical mode overlap & transitions. This work details waveguide on-chip coupling, waveguides inter-layer coupling, and mode transition between the various materials and devices. These were optimized using a combination of the following methods: ber splicing, mode matching, mode conversion, mode confinement analysis, and piece-wise bonding. For each optimization method, the fundamental principles, simulations, and experimental results are illustrated. Overall, this work has realized improvements in the hybrid integration of various materials on the same integrated photonics platform.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Integrated circuits--Design and construction; Photonics--Materials; Optoelectronics; Digital electronics

Publication Date

7-11-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Microsystems Engineering (Ph.D.)

Department, Program, or Center

Microsystems Engineering (KGCOE)

Advisor

Stefan F. Preble

Advisor/Committee Member

Karl Hirschman

Advisor/Committee Member

Parsian Mohseni

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

MCSE-PHD

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