Exploiting a strong coupling regime of organic pentamer surface plasmon resonance based on the Otto configuration for creatinine detection.

The sandwiched material-analyte layer in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-Otto configuration emulates an optical cavity and, coupled with large optical nonlinearity material, the rate of light escaping from the system is reduced, allowing the formation of a strong coupling regime. Here, we report an organic pentamer SPR sensor using the Otto configuration to induce a strong coupling regime for creatinine detection. Prior to that, the SPR sensor chip was modified with an organic pentamer, 1,4-bis[2-(5-thiophene-2-yl)-1-benzothiopene]-2,5-dioctyloxybenzene (BOBzBT).

Polarization response of planarized optical waveguides to determine the anisotropic complex refractive index of graphene oxide thin films.

The polarization response of graphene oxide (GO)-coated planarized optical waveguides is used to determine the complex refractive index of GO film. GO films with thicknesses between 0.10 and 0.

Enhanced Fano resonance of organic material films deposited on arrays of asymmetric split-ring resonators (A-SRRs).

Depositing very thin organic films on the surface of arrays of asymmetric split-ring resonators (A-SRRs) produces a shift in their resonance spectra that can be utilized for sensitive analyte detection. Here we show that when poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) is used as an organic probe (analyte) on top of the A-SRR array, the phase and amplitude of a characteristic molecular Fano resonance associated with a carbonyl bond changes according to the spectral positions of the trapped mode resonance of the A-SRRs and their plasmonic reflection peaks. Furthermore, we localize blocks of PMMA at different locations on the A-SRR array to determine the effectiveness of detection of very small amounts of non-uniformly distributed analyte.

Direct airborne acoustic wave modulation of Fabry-Perot fiber laser (FPFL) over 100 kHz of operating bandwidth.

The idea of applying a simple Fabry-Perot fiber laser (FPFL) set-up in a free-running condition as an acoustic sensing medium is proposed. Conventional optical microphone requires a stringently aligned diaphragm to mediate the acoustic impedance mismatch between air and silica fiber. Motivated by the difficulty of optical sensing of airborne acoustic waves, a new sensing method is proposed to sense acoustic waves without the assistance of a diaphragm as transducer.

Emission characteristics of photonic crystal light-emitting diodes.

Experimentally measured optical properties of photonic crystal LEDs are reported here. Photonic crystal and photonic quasi-crystal structures were fabricated on GaN epilayer LED wafer material using both direct-write electron beam lithography and nanoimprint lithography. Some of these structures were processed to make finished LEDs.

Supermode dispersion and waveguide-to-slot mode transition in arrays of silicon-on-insulator waveguides.

In this Letter, we report group index measurements of the supermodes of an array of two strongly coupled silicon-on-insulator waveguides. We observe coupling-induced dispersion that is greater than the material and waveguide dispersion of the individual waveguides. We demonstrate that the system transforms from supporting the two supermodes associated with two coupled waveguides to the single mode of a slot waveguide within the investigated spectral range.

Impact of titanium adhesion layers on the response of arrays of metallic split-ring resonators (SRRs).

At higher frequencies (visible and infrared) both the dimensions and the individual metal properties play an important role in determining the resonant response of arrays of SRRs. As a result, a substantial difference between the responses of gold- and Al-based SRR arrays has been observed. Additionally, deposition of gold SRRs onto a substrate typically involves the use of an additional adhesion layer.

100 nm period grating by high-index phase-mask immersion lithography.

The interferogram of a high index phase mask of 200 nm period under normal incidence of a collimated beam at 244 nm wavelength with substantially suppressed zeroth order produces a 100 nm period grating in a resist film under immersion. The paper describes the phase mask design, its fabrication, the effect of electron-beam lithographic stitching errors and optical assessment of the fabricated sub-cutoff grating.

Magnetic response of split ring resonators (SRRs) at visible frequencies.

In this paper, we report on a substantial shift in the response of arrays of similarly sized Split Ring Resonators (SRRs), having a rectangular U-shaped form--and made respectively of aluminium and of gold. We also demonstrate that it is possible to obtain the polarization dependent LC peak in the visible spectrum--by using SRRs based on aluminium, rather than gold. The response of metallic SRRs scales linearly with size.

All-optical switching in silicon-on-insulator photonic wire nano-cavities.

We report on experimental demonstration of all-optical switching in a silicon-on-insulator photonic wire nanocavity operating at telecom wavelengths. The switching is performed with a control pulse energy as low as approximately 0.1 pJ on a cavity device that presents very high signal transmission, an ultra-high quality-factor, almost diffraction-limited modal volume and a footprint of only 5 microm(2).

Slow light miniature devices with ultra-flattened dispersion in silicon-on-insulator photonic crystal.

We propose a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) photonic crystal waveguide within a hexagonal lattice of elliptical air holes for slow light propagation with group velocity in the range 0.0028c to 0.044c and ultra-flattened group velocity dispersion (GVD).

Asymmetric split ring resonators for optical sensing of organic materials.

Asymmetric Split Ring Resonators are known to exhibit resonant modes where the optical electric field is strongest near the ends of the arms, thereby increasing the sensitivity of spectral techniques such as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). By producing asymmetry in the structures, the two arms of the ring produce distinct plasmonic resonances related to their lengths - but are also affected by the presence of the other arm. This combination leads to a steepening of the slope of the reflection spectrum between the resonances that increases the sensitivity of the resonant behavior to the addition of different molecular species.

Ultra high quality factor one dimensional photonic crystal/photonic wire micro-cavities in silicon-on-insulator (SOI).

We present experimental results on photonic crystal/photonic wire micro-cavity structures that demonstrate further enhancement of the quality-factor (Q-factor)--up to approximately 149,000--in the fibre telecommunications wavelength range. The Q-values and the useful transmission levels achieved are due, in particular, to the combination of both tapering within and outside the micro-cavity, with carefully designed hole diameters and non-periodic hole placement within the tapered section. Our 2D Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation approach shows good agreement with the experimental results.

Efficient coupling into slow-light photonic crystal channel guides using photonic crystal tapers.

Photonic crystal tapers have been designed for coupling of light from ridge waveguides into low group velocity photonic crystal channel guides. The coupling efficiency is increased from 3 % (case of butt-coupling) to 97 % for frequencies in the band-edge region, corresponding to a group index close to 100, as predicted using 2D finite-difference time-domain simulations.

Highly compact asymmetric Mach-Zehnder device based on channel guides in a two-dimensional photonic crystal.

We have designed and fabricated a 2D photonic crystal (PhC) asymmetric Mach-Zehnder (M-Z) device structure using W1 channel waveguides oriented along ?K directions in silicon-on-insulator material. The asymmetric structure was designed using a PhC lattice with different filling factors. The asymmetry is obtained as a difference of two periods in the physical path length (DL=2a) between the arms, and it was sufficient to produce a pi phase shift in the region of operation around lambda=1500 nm.

Power and polarization beam-splitters, mirrors, and integrated interferometers based on air-hole photonic crystals and lateral large index-contrast waveguides.

Air hole 2D photonic crystals (PhC) and air slots have been used in association with semiconductor ridge waveguides to produce highly compact beam-splitters (less than 10 microm x10 microm) for power or polarization separators and mirrors. An efficiency of 99 % (in both 2D and 3D formulations) has been obtained for the power beam-splitter using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations - and around 95 % has been measured experimentally for structures realized in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides. In the polarization splitter, an extinction ratio as large as 11 dB was also reached experimentally.

Template-assisted growth of nominally cubic (100)-oriented three-dimensional crack-free photonic crystals.

Three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals (PhCs) are now beginning to acquire functionality via the use of dopants and heterostructures. However, the self-organized fabrication of large-area single crystals that are free of cracks and stacking faults has remained a challenge. We demonstrate a technology for the fabrication of (100)-oriented thin film 3D opal PhCs that exhibit no cracks over areas having no intrinsic size limit via a modified template-assisted colloidal self-assembly approach onto a patterned substrate.