Spatial modeling of optical crosstalk in InGaAsP Geiger-mode APD focal plane arrays.

We report a spatial model of optical crosstalk in InGaAsP Geiger-mode APD focal plane arrays created via non-sequential ray tracing. Using twenty-four equivalent experimental data sets as a baseline, we show that experimental results can be reproduced to a high degree of accuracy by incorporating secondary crosstalk effects, with reasonable assumptions of material and emission source properties. We use this model to categorize crosstalk according to source and path, showing that the majority of crosstalk in the immediate neighborhood of avalanching pixels in the present devices can be attributed to direct line-of-sight emissions.

Strain- and defect-mediated thermal conductivity in silicon nanowires.

The unique thermal transport of insulating nanostructures is attributed to the convergence of material length scales with the mean free paths of quantized lattice vibrations known as phonons, enabling promising next-generation thermal transistors, thermal barriers, and thermoelectrics. Apart from size, strain and defects are also known to drastically affect heat transport when introduced in an otherwise undisturbed crystalline lattice. Here we report the first experimental measurements of the effect of both spatially uniform strain and point defects on thermal conductivity of an individual suspended nanowire using in situ Raman piezothermography.

Size-dependent chemical transformation, structural phase-change, and optical properties of nanowires.

Nanowires offer a unique approach for the bottom up assembly of electronic and photonic devices with the potential of integrating photonics with existing technologies. The anisotropic geometry and mesoscopic length scales of nanowires also make them very interesting systems to study a variety of size-dependent phenomenon where finite size effects become important. We will discuss the intriguing size-dependent properties of nanowire systems with diameters in the 5 - 300 nm range, where finite size and interfacial phenomena become more important than quantum mechanical effects.

All-optical active switching in individual semiconductor nanowires.

The imminent limitations of electronic integrated circuits are stimulating intense activity in the area of nanophotonics for the development of on-chip optical components, and solutions incorporating direct-bandgap semiconductors are important in achieving this end. Optical processing of data at the nanometre scale is promising for circumventing these limitations, but requires the development of a toolbox of components including emitters, detectors, modulators, waveguides and switches. In comparison to components fabricated using top-down methods, semiconductor nanowires offer superior surface properties and stronger optical confinement.

One-dimensional polaritons with size-tunable and enhanced coupling strengths in semiconductor nanowires.

Strong coupling of light with excitons in direct bandgap semiconductors leads to the formation of composite photonic-electronic quasi-particles (polaritons), in which energy oscillates coherently between the photonic and excitonic states with the vacuum Rabi frequency. The light-matter coherence is maintained until the oscillator dephases or the photon escapes. Exciton-polariton formation has enabled the observation of Bose-Einstein condensation in the solid-state, low-threshold polariton lasing and is also useful for terahertz and slow-light applications.

Variable temperature spectroscopy of as-grown and passivated CdS nanowire optical waveguide cavities.

Semiconductor nanowire waveguide cavities hold promise for nanophotonic applications such as lasers, waveguides, switches, and sensors due to the tight optical confinement in these structures. However, to realize their full potential, high quality nanowires, whose emission at low temperatures is dominated by free exciton emission, need to be synthesized. In addition, a proper understanding of their complex optical properties, including light-matter coupling in these subwavelength structures, is required.

Propagation loss spectroscopy on single nanowire active waveguides.

A new technique is reported where by combining spatially and spectrally resolved scanning optical microscopy on single nanowire active waveguides, waveguide propagation loss and dispersion can be determined. The waveguide propagation loss spectra have been utilized to obtain insights into the optical absorption spectra of these unique nanostructured materials, which are modified in comparison to bulk materials. The propagation spectra and waveguide dispersion show clear signatures of electronic effects such as exciton-polariton formation.

Size-dependent waveguide dispersion in nanowire optical cavities: slowed light and dispersionless guiding.

Fundamental understanding of the size dependence of nanoscale optical confinement in semiconductor nanowire waveguides, as expressed by changes in the dispersion of light, is crucial for the optimal design of nanophotonic devices. Measurements of the dispersion are particularly challenging for nanoscale cavities due to difficulties associated with the in- and out-coupling of light resulting from diffraction effects. We report the strong size dependence of optical dispersion and associated group velocities in subwavelength width ZnSe nanowire waveguide cavities, using a technique based on Fabry-Perot resonator modes as probes over a wide energy range.