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Achieving deterministic control over the properties of low-dimensional materials with nanoscale precision is a long-sought goal. Mastering this capability has a transformative impact on the design of multifunctional electrical and optical devices. Here, we present an ion-assisted synthetic technique that enables precise control over the material composition and energy landscape of two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals. Our method transforms binary transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), like MoSe$_2$, into ternary MoS$_{2\alpha}$Se$_{2(1-{\alpha}})$ alloys with systematically adjustable compositions, ${\alpha}$. By piecewise assembly of the lateral, compositionally modulated MoS$_{2\alpha}$Se$_{2(1-{\alpha})}$ segments within 2D atomic layers, we present a synthetic pathway towards the realization of multi-compositional designer materials. Our technique enables the fabrication of complex structures with arbitrary boundaries, dimensions as small as 30 nm, and fully customizable energy landscapes. Our optical characterizations further showcase the potential for implementing tailored optoelectronics in these engineered 2D crystals., Comment: 22 pages, 5 Figures

An ultra-narrow slot waveguide is fabricated for use in highly-efficient, electro-optic-polymer-based, integrated-optic modulators. Measurement results indicate that $V_\pi L$'s below 1.2 V.mm are possible for balanced Mach-Zehnder modulators using this ultra-narrow slot waveguide on a silicon-organic hybrid platform. Simulated $V_\pi L$'s of 0.35 V.mm have also been obtained. In addition to adapting standard recipes, we developed two novel fabrication processes for achieving miniaturized devices with high modulation sensitivity. To boost compactness and decrease the overall footprint, we use a fabrication approach based on air bridge interconnects on thick, thermally-reflowed, MaN 2410 E-beam resist protected by an alumina layer. To overcome the challenges of high currents and imperfect infiltration of polymers into ultra-narrow slots, we use a carefully designed, atomically-thin layer of TiO$_2$ as a carrier-barrier to enhance the polling efficiency of our electro-optic polymers. Additionally, finite-difference time-domain simulations are employed to optimize the effect of the thin layer of TiO$_2$. As compared to other, non-optimized, cases, our peak measured current is reduced by a factor of 3; scanning electron microscopy images also demonstrate that we achieve almost perfect infiltration. The anticipated increase in total capacitance due to the TiO$_2$ layer is shown to be negligible. In fact, applying our TiO$_2$ surface treatment to our ultra-narrow slot, allows us to obtain an improved phase shift efficiency ($\partial n / \partial V$) of $\sim$94% for a 10 nm TiO$_2$ layer., Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, Optics Express

Structural colors generated due to light scattering from static all-dielectric metasurfaces have successfully enabled high-resolution, high-saturation, and wide-gamut color printing applications. Despite recent advances, most demonstrations of these structure-dependent colors lack post-fabrication tunability. This hinders their applicability for front-end dynamic display technologies. Phase-change materials (PCMs), with significant contrast of their optical properties between their amorphous and crystalline states, have demonstrated promising potentials in reconfigurable nanophotonics. Herein, we leverage tunable all-dielectric reflective metasurfaces made of newly emerged classes of low-loss optical PCMs, i.e., antimony trisulphide (Sb$_2$S$_3$) and antimony triselenide (Sb$_2$Se$_3$), with superb characteristics to realize switchable, high-saturation, high-efficiency and high-resolution dynamic meta-pixels. Exploiting polarization-sensitive building blocks, the presented meta-pixel can generate two different colors when illuminated by either one of two orthogonally polarized incident beams. Such degrees of freedom (i.e., material phase and polarization state) enable a single reconfigurable metasurface with fixed geometrical parameters to generate four distinct wide-gamut colors. We experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, an electrically-driven micro-scale display through the integration of phase-change metasurfaces with an on-chip heater formed by transparent conductive oxide. Our experimental findings enable a versatile platform suitable for a wide range of applications, including tunable full-color printing, enhanced dynamic displays, information encryption, and anti-counterfeiting., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2105.01313

Structural colors generated due to light scattering from static all-dielectric metasurfaces have successfully enabled high-resolution, high-saturation and wide-gamut color printing applications. Despite recent advances, most demonstrations of these structure-dependent colors lack post-fabrication tunability that hinders their applicability for front-end dynamic display technologies. Phase-change materials (PCMs), with significant contrast of their optical properties between their amorphous and crystalline states, have demonstrated promising potentials in reconfigurable nanophotonics. Herein, we leverage a tunable all-dielectric reflective metasurface made of a newly emerged class of low-loss optical PCMs with superb characteristics, i.e., antimony trisulphide (Sb$_2$S$_3$), antimony triselenide (Sb$_2$Se$_3$), and binary germanium-doped selenide (GeSe$_3$), to realize switchable, high-saturation, high-efficiency and high-resolution structural colors. Having polarization sensitive building blocks, the presented metasurface can generate two different colors when illuminated by two orthogonally polarized incident beams. Such degrees of freedom (i.e., structural state and polarization) enable a single reconfigurable metasurface with fixed geometrical parameters to generate four distinct wide-gamut colors suitable for a wide range of applications, including tunable full-color printing and displays, information encryption, and anti-counterfeiting.

Despite recent advances in active metaoptics, wide dynamic range combined with high-speed reconfigurable solutions is still elusive. Phase-change materials (PCMs) offer a compelling platform for metasurface optical elements, owing to the large index contrast and fast yet stable phase transition properties. Here, we experimentally demonstrate an in situ electrically-driven reprogrammable metasurface by harnessing the unique properties of a phase-change chalcogenide alloy, Ge$_{2}$Sb$_{2}$Te$_{5}$ (GST), in order to realize fast, non-volatile, reversible, multilevel, and pronounced optical modulation in the near-infrared spectral range. Co-optimized through a multiphysics analysis, we integrate an efficient heterostructure resistive microheater that indirectly heats and transforms the embedded GST film without compromising the optical performance of the metasurface even after several reversible phase transitions. A hybrid plasmonic-PCM meta-switch with a record electrical modulation of the reflectance over eleven-fold (an absolute reflectance contrast reaching 80%), unprecedented quasi-continuous spectral tuning over 250 nm, and switching speed that can potentially reach a few kHz is presented. Our work represents a significant step towards the development of fully integrable dynamic metasurfaces and their potential for beamforming applications.

We report the first demonstration of integrated electro-optic (EO) phase shifters based on racetrack microresonators on a 3C-silicon-carbide-on-insulator (SiCOI) platform working at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. By applying DC voltage in the crystalline axis perpendicular to the waveguide plane, we have observed optical phase shifts from the racetrack microresonators whose loaded quality (Q) factors are ~ 30,000. We show voltage length-product (V${\pi}$${\cdot}$L${\pi}$) of 118 V${\cdot}$cm, which corresponds to an EO coefficient r$_{41}$ of 2.6 pm/V. The SiCOI platform can be used to realize tunable SiC integrated photonic devices that are desirable for applications in nonlinear and quantum photonics over a wide bandwidth that covers visible and infrared wavelengths.

Here, we present a new approach based on manifold learning for knowledge discovery and inverse design with minimal complexity in photonic nanostructures. Our approach builds on studying sub-manifolds of responses of a class of nanostructures with different design complexities in the latent space to obtain valuable insight about the physics of device operation to guide a more intelligent design. In contrast to the current methods for inverse design of photonic nanostructures, which are limited to pre-selected and usually over-complex structures, we show that our method allows evolution from an initial design towards the simplest structure while solving the inverse problem., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables

An integrated photonic approach for complex quantum state generation through dynamical Casimir effect (DCE) is demonstrated. This approach provides a scheme to realize multipartite high-dimensional entangled states in the microwave (MW) and terahertz (THz) regimes, through the modulation in a MW-resonator coupled to an optical microresonator supporting temporal optical solitons. The states at the MW-resonator evolve from the ground state, realizing real-photons from the virtual photons at the ground state. The periodic modulation of the MW-resonator through a Kerr-induced refractive index change in the optical microresonator, along with the localized spatial distribution of the dissipative Kerr solitons (DKSs), enables photon-pair generation and inter-mode coupling at the MW-resonator. This allows generating highly persistent multipartite high-dimensional entangled states in a wide range of spectrum. The proposed approach paves the way for a hybrid integrated platform for generation of multipartite entangled qudits (high-dimensional qubits) at the MW and THz regimes using highly coherent ultra-short optical pulses in a monolithic integrated platform. This architecture can act as an entangled state source, as a necessary resource for exploiting a wide range of quantum protocols from fault-tolerant computing to enhanced sensing and teleportation.

Efficient hybrid plasmonic-photonic metasurfaces that simultaneously take advantage of the potential of both pure metallic and all-dielectric nanoantennas are identified as an emerging technology in flat optics. Nevertheless, post-fabrication tunable hybrid metasurfaces are still elusive. Here, we present a reconfigurable hybrid metasurface platform by incorporating the phase-change material Ge$_{2}$Sb$_{2}$Te$_{5}$ (GST) into metal-dielectric meta-atoms for active and non-volatile tuning of properties of light. We systematically design a reduced-dimension meta-atom, which selectively controls the fundamental hybrid plasmonic-photonic resonances of the metasurface via the dynamic change of optical constants of GST without compromising the scattering efficiency. As a proof-of-concept, we experimentally demonstrate miniaturized tunable metasurfaces that control the amplitude and phase of incident light necessary for high-contrast optical switching and anomalous to specular beam deflection, respectively. Finally, we leverage a deep learning-based approach to present an intuitive low-dimensional visualization of the enhanced range of response reconfiguration enabled by the addition of GST. Our findings further substantiate dynamically tunable hybrid metasurfaces as promising candidates for the development of small-footprint energy harvesting, imaging, and optical signal processing devices.

An integrated photonic platform is proposed for strong interactions between atomic beams and annealing-free high-quality-factor (Q) microresonators. We fabricated a thin-film, air-clad SiN microresonator with a loaded Q of $1.55\times10^6$ around the optical transition of $^{87}$Rb at $~780$ nm. This Q is achieved without annealing the devices at high temperatures, enabling future fully integrated platforms containing optoelectronic circuitry as well. The estimated single-photon Rabi frequency (2g) is ${2\boldsymbol{\pi}}\times$64 MHz at a height of 100 nm above the resonator. Our simulation result indicates that miniature atomic beams with a longitudinal speed of 0.2 m/s to 30 m/s will strongly interact with our resonator, allowing for the detection of single-atom transits and the realization of scalable single-atom photonic devices. Racetrack resonators with a similar Q can be used to detect thermal atomic beams with velocities around 300 m/s.

Rapidly growing demands for high-performance computing, powerful data processing systems, and big data necessitate the advent of novel optical devices to perform demanding computing processes effectively. Due to its unprecedented growth in the past two decades, the field of meta-optics offers a viable solution for spatially, spectrally, and/or even temporally sculpting amplitude, phase, polarization, and/or dispersion of optical wavefronts. In this Review, we discuss state-of-the-art developments as well as emerging trends in computational meta-structures as disruptive platforms for spatial optical analog computation. Two fundamental approaches based on general concepts of spatial Fourier transformation and Green's function are discussed in detail. Moreover, numerical investigations and experimental demonstrations of computational optical surfaces and meta-structures for solving a diverse set of mathematical problems (e.g., integro-differentiation and convolution equations) necessary for on-demand applications (e.g., edge detection) are reviewed. Finally, we explore the current challenges and the potential resolutions in computational meta-optics followed by our perspective on future research directions and possible developments in this promising area.

Inducing a large refractive-index change is the holy grail of reconfigurable photonic structures, a goal that has long been the driving force behind the discovery of new optical material platforms. Recently, the unprecedentedly large refractive-index contrast between the amorphous and crystalline states of Ge-Sb-Te (GST)-based phase-change materials (PCMs) has attracted tremendous attention for reconfigurable integrated nanophotonics. Here, we introduce a microheater platform that employs optically transparent and electrically conductive indium-tin-oxide (ITO) bridges for the fast and reversible electrical switching of the GST phase between crystalline and amorphous states. By the proper assignment of electrical pulses applied to the ITO microheater, we show that our platform allows for the registration of virtually any intermediate crystalline state into the GST film integrated on the top of the designed microheaters. More importantly, we demonstrate the full reversibility of the GST phase between amorphous and crystalline states. To show the feasibility of using this hybrid GST/ITO platform for miniaturized integrated nanophotonic structures, we integrate our designed microheaters into the arms of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer to realize electrically reconfigurable optical phase shifters with orders of magnitude smaller footprints compared to existing integrated photonic architectures. We show that the phase of optical signals can be gradually shifted in multiple intermediate states using a structure that can potentially be smaller than a single wavelength. We believe that our study showcases the possibility of forming a whole new class of miniaturized reconfigurable integrated nanophotonics using beyond-binary reconfiguration of optical functionalities in hybrid PCM-photonic devices.

Nanophotonics has garnered intensive attention due to its unique capabilities in molding the flow of light in the subwavelength regime. Metasurfaces (MSs) and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) enable the realization of mass-producible, cost-effective, and highly efficient flat optical components for imaging, sensing, and communications. In order to enable nanophotonics with multi-purpose functionalities, chalcogenide phase-change materials (PCMs) have been introduced as a promising platform for tunable and reconfigurable nanophotonic frameworks. Integration of non-volatile chalcogenide PCMs with unique properties such as drastic optical contrasts, fast switching speeds, and long-term stability grants substantial reconfiguration to the more conventional static nanophotonic platforms. In this review, we discuss state-of-the-art developments as well as emerging trends in tunable MSs and PICs using chalcogenide PCMs. We outline the unique material properties, structural transformation, electro-optic, and thermo-optic effects of well-established classes of chalcogenide PCMs. The emerging deep learning-based approaches for the optimization of reconfigurable MSs and the analysis of light-matter interactions are also discussed. The review is concluded by discussing existing challenges in the realization of adjustable nanophotonics and a perspective on the possible developments in this promising area.

We present here a new approach for using the intelligence aspects of artificial intelligence for knowledge discovery rather than device optimization in electromagnetic (EM) nanostructures. This approach uses training data obtained through full-wave EM simulations of a series of nanostructures to train geometric deep learning algorithms to assess the range of feasible responses as well as the feasibility of a desired response from a class of EM nanostructures. To facilitate the knowledge discovery and reduce the computation complexity, our approach combines the dimensionality reduction technique (using an autoencoder) with convex-hull and one-class support-vector-machine (SVM) algorithms to find the range of the feasible responses in the latent (or the reduced) response space of the EM nanostructure. We show that by using a small set of training instances (compared to all possible structures), our approach can provide better than 95% accuracy in assessing the feasibility of a given response. More importantly, the one-class SVM algorithm can be trained to provide the degree of feasibility (or unfeasibility) of a response from a given nanostructure. This important information can be used to modify the initial structure to an alternative one that can enable an initially unfeasible response. To show the applicability of our approach, we apply it to two important classes of binary metasurfaces (MSs), formed by array of plasmonic nanostructures, and periodic MSs formed by an array of dielectric nanopillars. In addition to theoretical results, we show the experimental results obtained by fabricating several MSs of the second class. Our theoretical and experimental results confirm the unique features of this approach for knowledge discovery in EM nanostructures., Comment: Adv. Intell. Syst. (2020)

In contrast to lossy plasmonic metasurfaces (MSs), wideband dielectric MSs comprising of subwavelength nanostructures supporting Mie resonances are of great interest in the visible wavelength range. Here, for the first time to our knowledge, we experimentally demonstrate a reflective MS consisting of a square-lattice array of Hafnia (HfO$_2$) nanopillars to generate a wide color gamut. To design and optimize these MSs, we use a deep-learning algorithm based on a dimensionality reduction technique. Good agreement is observed between simulation and experimental results in yielding vivid and high-quality colors. We envision that these structures not only empower the high-resolution digital displays and sensitive colorimetric biosensors but also can be applied to on-demand applications of beaming in a wide wavelength range down to deep ultraviolet.

In this paper, we present a deep learning-based (DL-based) algorithm, as a purely mathematical platform, for providing intuitive understanding of the properties of electromagnetic (EM) wave-matter interaction in nanostructures. This approach is based on using the dimensionality reduction (DR) technique to significantly reduce the dimensionality of a generic EM wave-matter interaction problem without imposing significant error. Such an approach implicitly provides useful information about the role of different features (or design parameters such as geometry) of the nanostructure in its response functionality. To demonstrate the practical capabilities of this DL-based technique, we apply it to a reconfigurable optical metadevice enabling dual-band and triple-band optical absorption in the telecommunication window. Combination of the proposed approach with existing commercialized full-wave simulation tools offers a powerful toolkit to extract basic mechanisms of wave-matter interaction in complex EM devices and facilitate the design and optimization of nanostructures for a large range of applications including imaging, spectroscopy, and signal processing. It is worth to mention that the demonstrated approach is general and can be used in a large range of problems as long as enough training data can be provided.

In this paper, we demonstrate a computationally efficient new approach based on deep learning (DL) techniques for analysis, design, and optimization of electromagnetic (EM) nanostructures. We use the strong correlation among features of a generic EM problem to considerably reduce the dimensionality of the problem and thus, the computational complexity, without imposing considerable errors. By employing the dimensionality reduction concept using the more recently demonstrated autoencoder technique, we redefine the conventional many-to-one design problem in EM nanostructures into a one-to-one problem plus a much simpler many-to-one problem, which can be simply solved using an analytic formulation. This approach reduces the computational complexity in solving both the forward problem (i.e., analysis) and the inverse problem (i.e., design) by orders of magnitude compared to conventional approaches. In addition, it provides analytic formulations that, despite their complexity, can be used to obtain intuitive understanding of the physics and dynamics of EM wave interaction with nanostructures with minimal computation requirements. As a proof-of-concept, we applied such an efficacious method to design a new class of on-demand reconfigurable optical metasurfaces based on phase-change materials (PCM). We envision that the integration of such a DL-based technique with full-wave commercial software packages offers a powerful toolkit to facilitate the analysis, design, and optimization of the EM nanostructures as well as explaining, understanding, and predicting the observed responses in such structures.

We present a hybrid device platform for creating an electrically reconfigurable metasurface formed by the integration of plasmonic nanostructures with phase-change material germanium antimony telluride (GST). By changing the phase of GST from amorphous to crystalline through Joule heating, a large range of responses from the metasurface can be achieved. Furthermore, by using the intermediate phases of GST, the metasurface can interact with the incident light in both over-coupling and under-coupling regimes, leading to an inherently broadband response. Through a detailed investigation of the nature of the fundamental modes, we demonstrate that changing the crystalline phase of the GST at the pixel-level enables an effective control over the key properties (i.e., amplitude, phase, and polarization) of incident light. This leads to the realization of a broadband electrically tunable multi-functional metadevice enabling beam switching, focusing, steering, and polarization conversion. Such a hybrid structure offers a high-speed, broadband, and non-volatile reconfigurable paradigm for electrically programmable optical devices such as switches, holograms, and polarimeters.

Bright-soliton frequency comb generation in a thin-film silicon nitride (SiN) microresonator at optical telecommunication wavelengths is numerically demonstrated using our recently developed approach for dispersion-engineering by virtue of coupling-dispersion between two coupled microresonators. By coupling two identical resonators through an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder structure, sinusoidal splitting of the resonance frequencies can be achieved. This enables the engineering of the dispersion of the resulting modes of the coupled structure. Using this approach, anomalous dispersion of the resonant modes can be achieved at the pumping wavelength (which is selected to be the optical telecommunication wavelength, i.e., 1.55 $\mu m$) to enable Kerr-comb generation. In addition, by utilizing soliton-induced Cherenkov radiation in the coupled-resonator structure, we can increase the bandwidth of the resulting Kerr-comb signal.

The damped driven nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation (NLSE) has been used to understand a range of physical phenomena in diverse systems. Studying this equation in the context of optical hyper-parametric oscillators in anomalous-dispersion dissipative cavities, where NLSE is usually referred to as the Lugiato-Lefever equation (LLE), we are led to a new, reduced nonlinear oscillator model which uncovers the essence of the spontaneous creation of sharply peaked pulses in optical resonators. We identify attracting solutions for this model which correspond to stable cavity solitons and Turing patterns, and study their degree of stability. The reduced model embodies the fundamental connection between mode synchronization and spatiotemporal pattern formation, and represents a novel class of self-synchronization processes in which coupling between nonlinear oscillators is governed by energy and momentum conservation., Comment: This manuscript is published in Physical Review A. Copyright 2017 by the American Physical Society. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1602.08523

Anomalous group velocity dispersion is a key parameter for generating bright solitons, and thus wideband Kerr frequency combs. Extension of frequency combs to visible wavelength in conventional photonic materials and structures has been a major challenge due to strong normal material dispersion at the relevant frequencies. Extension of frequency combs toward the normal dispersion region is possible via dispersive waves through soliton-induced Cherenkov radiation. However, this potentially powerful technique has not been used for extending frequency combs to the visible spectrum. In this paper, we demonstrate a new microresonator structure formed by an over-etched silicon nitride waveguide that enables the use of soliton-induced Cherenkov radiation to extend the bandwidth of the Kerr-combs. Furthermore, we show that by careful dispersion engineering in a coupled microring resonator structure we can optimize the properties (e.g., wavelength, and amplitude) of the generated dispersive wave to further extend the Kerr frequency combs to the visible spectrum while increasing the total Kerr-comb bandwidth as well.

In the close vicinity of a chiral nanostructure, the circular dichroism of a biomolecule could be greatly enhanced, due to the interaction with the local superchiral fields. Modest enhancement of optical activity using a planar metamaterial, with some chiral properties, and achiral nanoparticles has been previously reported. A more substantial chirality enhancement can be achieved in the local filed of a chiral nanostructure with a three-dimensional arrangement. Using an embossed chiral nanostructure designed for chiroptical sensing, we measure the circular dichroism spectra of two biomolecules, Chlorophylls A and B, at the molecular level, using a simple polarization resolved reflection measurement. This experiment is the first realization of the on-resonance surface-enhanced circular dichroism, achieved by matching the chiral resonances of a strongly chiral metamaterial with that of a chiral molecule, resulting in an unprecedentedly large differential CD spectrum from a monolayer of a chiral material.

We introduce a new, reduced nonlinear oscillator model governing the spontaneous creation of sharp pulses in a damped, driven, cubic nonlinear Schroedinger equation. The reduced model embodies the fundamental connection between mode synchronization and spatiotemporal pulse formation. We identify attracting solutions corresponding to stable cavity solitons and Turing patterns. Viewed in the optical context, our results explain the recently reported $\pi$ and $\pi/2$ steps in the phase spectrum of microresonator-based optical frequency combs.

Polynorbornene-based decomposable polymer which can be patterned with ultraviolet or electron-beam radiation is used to create micrometer-scale fluidic channels. Silicon nitride substrates are used to fabricate nanophotonic wavegide and resonators operating in the visible range of the spectrum. Fluidic channels generated by thermally decomposing the polymer through the oxide cladding is used to deliver ultra-small amounts of florescent samples to the optical sensors.

Layered two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) have recently attracted remarkable attention because of their unique physical properties. Here, we use photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy to study the formation of the so- called trions in a synthesized freestanding trilayer MoS2. A trion is a charged quasi-particle formed by adding one electron or hole to a neutral exciton (a bound electron-hole pair). We demonstrate accurate control over the transformation of excitons to trions by tuning the power of the optical pump (laser). Increasing the power of the excitation laser beyond a certain threshold (~ 4 mW) allows modulation of trion-to-exciton PL intensity ratio as well as the spectral linewidth of both trions and excitons. Via a systematic and complementary Raman analysis we disclose a strong coupling between laser induced exciton-to-trion transformation and the characteristic phononic vibrations of MoS2. The onset of such an optical transformation corresponds to the onset of a previously unknown nonlinear Raman shift of the in-plane (E12g) and out-of-plane (A1g) vibrational modes. This coupling directly affects the well-known linear red-shift of the A1g and E12g vibrations due to heating at low laser powers, and changes it to a nonlinear and non-monotonic dependence with a blue-shift in the high laser power regime. Local reduction of the electron density upon exciton-to-trion transformation is found to be the underlying mechanism for the blue-shift at high laser powers. Our findings enrich our knowledge about the strong coupling of photonic and phononic properties in 2D semiconductors, and enable reliable interpretation of PL and Raman spectra in the high laser power regimes., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures

Spectroscopic analysis of large biomolecules is critical in a number of applications, including medical diagnostics and label-free biosensing. Recently, it has been shown that Raman spectroscopy of proteins can be used to diagnose some diseases, including a few types of cancer. These experiments have however been performed using traditional Raman spectroscopy and the development of the Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) assays suitable for large biomolecules could lead to a substantial decrease in the amount of specimen necessary for these experiments. We present a new method to achieve high local field enhancement in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy through the simultaneous adjustment of the lattice plasmons and localized surface plasmon polaritons, in a periodic bilayer nanoantenna array resulting in a high enhancement factor over the sensing area, with relatively high uniformity. The proposed plasmonic nanostructure is comprised of two interacting nanoantenna layers, providing a sharp band-edge lattice plasmon mode and a wide-band localized surface plasmon for the separate enhancement of the pump and emitted Raman signals. We demonstrate the application of the proposed nanostructure for the spectral analysis of large biomolecules by binding a protein (streptavidin) selectively on the hot-spots between the two stacked layers, using a low concentration solution (100 nM) and we successfully acquire its SERS spectrum.

Optical bistability provides a simple way to control light with light. We demonstrate low-power thermo-optical bistability caused by the Joule heating mechanism in a one-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) nanobeam resonator with a moderate quality factor (Q ~ 8900) with an embedded reverse-biased pn-junction. We show that the photocurrent induced by the linear absorption in this compact resonator considerably reduces the threshold optical power. The proposed approach substantially relaxes the requirements on the input optical power for achieving optical bistability and provides a reliable way to stabilize the bistable features of the device.

We propose a method for soliton formation in whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators through input phase modulation. Our numerical simulations of a variant of the Lugiato-Lefever equation suggest that modulating the input phase at a frequency equal to the resonator free-spectral-range and at modest modulation depths provides a deterministic route towards soliton formation in WGM resonators without undergoing a chaotic phase. We show that the generated solitonic state is sustained when the modulation is turned off adiabatically. Our results support parametric seeding as a powerful means of control, besides input pump power and pump-resonance detuning, over frequency comb generation in WGM resonators. Our findings also help pave the path towards ultra-short pulse formation on a chip., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

Current theoretical treatment of mode splitting and scattering loss resulting from sub-wavelength scatterers attached to the surface of high-quality-factor whispering-gallery-mode microresonators is not satisfactory. Different models have been proposed for two distinct scatterer regimes, i.e., a-few- and many-scatterers. In addition, many experimental results seem difficult to understand within the existing theoretical framework. Here we develop a unified approach that applies to an arbitrary number of scatterers, which reveals the applicable conditions and the limits of the existing theoretical models. Moreover, many new understandings on mode splitting and scattering loss have been achieved, which are supported by numerical and experimental evidences. Such a unified approach is essential for the fundamental studies as well as the practical applications of mode splitting and scattering loss in high-quality-factor whispering-gallery-mode microresonators., Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures