Broadband, ultrahigh efficiency fiber-to-chip coupling via multilayer nanophotonics.

We design, fabricate, and characterize a multilayer nanophotonic structure that couples light from standard optical fiber to an integrated photonics chip with unprecedented efficiency. The structure comprises a multilayer waveguide array tapering into a single waveguide supporting only fundamental TE- and TM-like modes. Measurements reveal a record-setting fiber-to-chip coupling efficiency of ${98.

Porous Silicon Gradient Refractive Index Micro-Optics.

The emergence and growth of transformation optics over the past decade has revitalized interest in how a gradient refractive index (GRIN) can be used to control light propagation. Two-dimensional demonstrations with lithographically defined silicon (Si) have displayed the power of GRIN optics and also represent a promising opportunity for integrating compact optical elements within Si photonic integrated circuits. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of three-dimensional Si-based GRIN micro-optics through the shape-defined formation of porous Si (PSi).

Graphene Sandwiched Mesostructured Li-Ion Battery Electrodes.

A deterministic graphene-sandwiched Li-ion battery electrode consisting of an integrated 3D mesostructure of electrochemically active materials and graphene is presented. As demonstrations, electrodes with active nanomaterials that coat (V2 O5 @graphene@V2 O5 cathode) or are coated by (graphene@Si@graphene anode) graphene are fabricated. These electrodes exhibit high capacities and ultralong cycle lives (the cathode can be cycled over 2000 times with minimal capacity fade).

Bioresorbable silicon electronic sensors for the brain.

Many procedures in modern clinical medicine rely on the use of electronic implants in treating conditions that range from acute coronary events to traumatic injury. However, standard permanent electronic hardware acts as a nidus for infection: bacteria form biofilms along percutaneous wires, or seed haematogenously, with the potential to migrate within the body and to provoke immune-mediated pathological tissue reactions. The associated surgical retrieval procedures, meanwhile, subject patients to the distress associated with re-operation and expose them to additional complications.