INTEGRATED PHOTONICS

Responsible: PhD. Gustavo A Torchia

Participants:
- PhD. Fabián Videla
- Eng. Valentin Guarepi

In various areas of experimental science, the miniaturization of devices is a trend that has been gaining speed, fundamentally driven by the development of the microelectronics industry. Photonics has not been immune to this trend, going from a few tens of microns (multi- and single-mode optical fiber) to the micrometer scale (waveguides in Integrated Photonics).
The most efficient (low-cost) way to develop all these devices is to integrate them into a single flat substrate, in such a way that the light travels confined by grooved waveguides, which is called "optical chip" or integrated optical circuit [ 3]. In this sense, one of the most attractive substrates for developing integrated optics elements is lithium niobate (LiNbO3), which has high electro-optic and acousto-optic coefficients to make high-speed light modulators. Furthermore, it is possible to incorporate dopants during crystal growth, in particular rare earths, which make it an active material with the possibility of manufacturing optical amplifiers and lasers.
Within this line of research, basic and applied aspects related to the technique we use to manufacture these light guiding structures are studied. In particular at the CIOp, we write integrated optical circuits through the interaction of ultrashort pulses and materials. This system consists of a 100 femtosecond laser with an energy of up to 1 mJ per pulse. The laser micro-machining system is also composed of a motorized x,y,z positioning station with sub-micrometer resolution.

Research topics

  • Optical waveguides.
  • Laser writing with ultrashort pulses.
  • Study of the Deformation of materials with ultrashort pulses through numerical calculation with FEM (Finite Element Method).
  • Micro-luminescent and Raman analysis of deformations produced with femtosecond lasers.
    Propagation simulations in waveguide structures using numerical calculation based on BPM (Beam Propagation Method) and FDTD (Finite Difference Time Domain).
  • Lasers and optical amplifiers integrated into waveguides.
  • Optical circuits such as sensors and devices for optical communications.
    Study of waveguides manufactured with laser writing in different luminescent materials (LiSAF, LiCAF, YAG, YFL, etc.)
  • Development of phase and amplitude modulators integrated into Lithium Niobate substrates.
  • Study of optical thin films. Determination of the refractive index using dark modes.
  • Development of instrumentation for the control of laser communications.
  • Development of resonant rings integrated into lithium niobate substrates as angular velocity sensors.

 

Lines of research:

Projects in progress: