On chip shapeable optical tweezers

International audience; Particles manipulation with optical forces is known as optical tweezing. While tweezing in free space with laser beams was established in the 1980s, integrating the optical tweezers on a chip is a challenging task. Recent experiments with plasmonic nanoantennas, microring resonators, and photonic crystal nanocavities have demonstrated optical trapping. However, the optical field of a tweezer made of a single microscopic resonator cannot be shaped. So far, this prevents from optically driven micromanipulations. Here we propose an alternative approach where the shape of the optical trap can be tuned by the wavelength in coupled nanobeam cavities. Using these shapeable …

Formation and properties of localized modes near photonic band edges

International audience

Properties of silicon integrated photonic lenses: bandwidth, chromatic aberration, and polarization dependence

We analyze the properties of silicon integrated photonic lenses based on scattering optical elements. The devices have been inverse- designed by combining genetic algorithms and the multiple scattering theory. These lenses are able to focus an infrared plane wave front on a position freely determined during the design stage. The nanofabricated silicon integrated lenses have proved effective over a large range of wave- lengths, measured to be of the order of 100 nm. The lenses show chromatic aberration, with a displacement of the position of the focus mea- sured to be higher than 1.5 μm when the wavelength varies from 1500 to 1600 nm. Moreover, we analyze the polarization of the focused beam…

Delocalization of Nonlinear Optical Responses in Plasmonic Nanoantennas

Remote excitation and emission of two-photon luminescence and second-harmonic generation are observed in micrometer long gold rod optical antennas upon local illumination with a tightly focused near-infrared femtosecond laser beam. We show that the nonlinear radiations can be emitted from the entire antenna and the measured far-field angular patterns bear the information regarding the nature and origins of the respective nonlinear processes. We demonstrate that the nonlinear responses are transported by the propagating surface plasmon at excitation frequency, enabling thereby polariton-mediated tailoring and design of nonlinear responses.

Near-field spectroscopy of low-loss waveguide integrated microcavities

International audience; A scanning near-field spectroscopy method is used to observe loss reduction and Q-factor enhancement due to transverse-mode profile matching within photonic-crystal microcavities. Near-field measurements performed directly on cavity modes are compared with three-dimensional calculations and quantitative agreement is observed. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Hyperspectral optical near-field imaging: Looking graded photonic crystals and photonic metamaterials in color

International audience; Using a scanning near-field optical microscope operating with a hyperspectral detection scheme, we report the direct observation of the mirage effect within an on-chip integrated artificial material made of a two dimensional graded photonic crystal. The light rainbow due to the material dispersion is quantified experimentally and quantitatively compared to three dimensional plane wave assisted Hamiltonian optics predictions of light propagation.

Near-field control of optical bistability in a nanocavity

Micro- and nanocavities allow for strong light confinement in very small volume [1]. They give opportunities for new experiments such as cavity quantum electrodynamics, waveguiding, light slowing or trapping…[2] The increase of the electromagnetic (EM) field in the cavity enhances the interaction between light and matter, resulting in the possible observation of nonlinear effects [3]. Several studies have recently been published on the observation and characterisation of nonlinear silicon cavities [4]. As a step further, we propose and demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative way to mechanically control the bistable operating regime of a nanovavity. Using a near-field tip, we switch the…

Optical field molding within near-field coupled twinned nanobeam cavities

Twinned high Q nanobeam cavities can be optically coupled while being placed in the optical near-field of each other. They form then a new optical system which supports discrete field maps addressable by wavelength selection.

Interface engineering for improved light transmittance through photonic crystal flat lenses

In this paper, we present photonic crystal flat lenses with interfaces engineered to improve the light transmittance thanks to a broad angles impedance matching. The interface engineering consists in the realization of antireflection gratings on the edges of the lenses which are designed to reduce the propagative waves reflectivity over a wide range of incident angles. The fabricated structures were measured in optical near-field and a four times enhancement of the light transmission efficiency is reported.

Single-Crystal vs Polycrystalline Gold: A Non-linear-Optics Analysis

Standard gold in the field of plasmonics is obtained by evaporation or sputtering and therefore is polycrystalline. Yet, this gold presents numbers of drawbacks such as roughness, grains and ill-defined electronic band diagrams in addition to the lack of reproducibility from one instrument to another. It is, thus, beneficial to turn to a metal production that can enable well-defined and controlled gold parameters. To that end, we have explored the wet synthesis of gold nanoplates which represents a simple and robust means of obtaining single-crystal gold (Guo Z, Zhang Y, DuanMu Y, Xu L, Xie S, Gu N, Colloids Surf A 278:33–38, 2006). The synthesized nanoplates are from 50 to less than 100 nm…

Improving the transmittance of an epsilon-near-zero-based wavefront shaper

Although Epsilon-Near-Zero metamaterials (ENZ) offer many unconventional ways to play with light, the optical impedance mismatch with surroundings can limit the efficiency of future devices. We report here on the improvement of the transmittance of an Epsilon-Near-Zero (ENZ) wavefront shaper. We first address in this paper the way to enhance the transmittance of a plane wave through a layer of ENZ material thanks to a numerical optimization approach based on the Transfer Matrix Method. We then transpose the one dimensional approach to a two dimensional case where the emission of a dipole is shaped into a plane wave by an ENZ device with a design that optimizes the transmittance. As a result…

Tunable optical lattices in the near-field of a few-mode nanophotonic waveguide

Due to the action of the scattering force, particles that are optically trapped at the surface of a waveguide are propelled in the direction of the light propagation. In this work, we demonstrate an original approach for creating tunable periodic arrays of optical traps along a few-mode silicon nanophotonic waveguide. We show how the near-field optical forces at the surface of the waveguide are periodically modulated when two guided modes with different propagation constants are simultaneously excited. The phenomenon is used to achieve stable trapping of a large number of dielectric particles or bacteria along a single waveguide. By controlling the light coupling conditions and the laser wa…

Ternary and quaternary Ge-S-Se-Sb-Te amorphous chalcogenide thin films for mid-infrared applications

International audience; Chalcogenide materials exhibit a unique portfolio of properties which has led to their wide use for nonvolatile memory applications such as optical storage (CD-RW and DVD-RAM), Conductive Bridging Random Access Memory or Phase Change Random Access Memory (PCRAM). More recently, thanks to huge electronic nonlinearities under electrical field application, chalcogenide glasses are considered as most promising materials to be used as Ovonic Threshold Switching (OTS) selectors [1]. Besides, thanks to high transparency window in the infrared range and large optical nonlinearities [2], chalcogenide alloys offer the opportunity of development of innovative mid-infrared (MIR)…

Integrated plasmonic nanotweezers for nanoparticle manipulation.

We numerically demonstrate that short gold nanoparticle chains coupled to traditional SOI waveguides allow conceiving surface plasmon-based nanotweezers. This configuration provides for jumpless control of the trapping position of a nano-object as a function of the excitation wavelength, allowing for linear repositioning. This novel feature can be captivating for the conception of compact integrated optomechanical nanoactuators.

Single-mode room-temperature emission with a silicon rod lattice

The authors experimentally evidence an increase of light emission efficiency at room temperature in a silicon-on-insulator photonic crystal. The photonic crystal is made of a triangular lattice of silicon rods and operates as a single-mode light extractor. It exhibits a luminescence intensity two orders of magnitude higher than silicon-on-insulator substrate. In light of photoluminescence experiments, emission diagram measurements, and finite difference time domain calculations, they identify the different optical properties of the photonic crystal and they demonstrate the existence of at least a fivefold emission efficiency enhancement per surface unit.

Far-Field Optical Control of a Movable Subdiffraction Light Grid

International audience; We demonstrate experimentally a subdiffraction light pattern, with a period down to 150 nm, at the surface of an optimized silicon nanostructured thin film. We show, using near-field and far-field characterization, that this subdiffraction pattern can be translated and rotated just by changing the illumination angle. The movable high frequency light pattern paves the way for subdiffraction resolution surface imaging microscopy without scanning near-field probes.

Silicon-microring into a fiber laser cavity for high-repetition-rate pulse train generation

International audience; In 1997, Yoshida et al. inserted a Fabry-Perot filter in a modulation instability fiber laser cavity [1], the free spectral range (FSR) of the Fabry-Perot fixed the RF to 115 GHz; however the pulsed laser was poorly stable. Since then, lasers of increasing performance have been demonstrated using variants of this method. In 2012, Peccianti et al., demonstrated the first fiber laser harmonically mode-locked by integrated high-finesse microresonator [2]. The doped silica, on-chip microresonator provided both high spectral selectivity and nonlinearity, thus promoting the dynamics pulsed at 200 GHz. By using a silicon microring resonator (SMRR), this approach lead to the…

Multimodal reflectivity of CRIGF filters: First experimental observation and modelling

International audience; Cavity Resonator Integrated Guided-mode Resonance Filter (CRIGF) are a new class of filtering reflectors whose selected wavelength and spectral width are independent of the angle of incidence unlike GMRF. These particular properties allow both compactness and a high angular acceptance. However, ours studies show that CRIGFs offer simultaneously spectral and modal filtering and we evidence high-spatial-order reflected modes. In this paper, we will present characterization of the spectral and spatial profile that demonstrates the existence of these high-order modes. In addition, we will present a model based on the physical understanding of implied phenomena to explain…

Real space observation of two-dimensional Bloch wave interferences in a negative index photonic crystal cavity

We report here the direct observation of two-dimensional (2D) Bloch wave interferences in a negative index photonic crystal by using optical near-field microscopy techniques. The photonic crystal is formed by a defectless honeycomb lattice of air holes etched in III-V semiconductor slab. A scanning near-field optical microscope is used to visualize spatially, as well as spectrally, the light distribution inside the photonic crystal. The recorded near-field spectra and maps presented here unambiguously demonstrate the Bloch wave interferences within the photonic crystal. Then, the spectral and spatial evolution of these interferences allows us to recover experimentally the 2D band diagram of…

From Measurement to Control of Electromagnetic Waves using a Near‐field Scanning Optical Microscope

Towards an efficient epsilon near-zero-based wavefront shaper

Although epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials offer many unconventional ways to play with light, the optical impedance mismatch with surroundings can limit the efficiency of future devices. An original example of ENZ-based applications is the wavefront shaping, but up to now devices have transmission efficiency as low as 10-5 [1]. Here, we report strategies to enhance the transmittance through ENZ layer and we demonstrate an enhancement by four orders of magnitude of the transmittance, which reaches up to 15% in the context of ENZ-based wavefront shaping [2].

Optical tweezing using tunable optical lattices along a few-mode silicon waveguide

International audience; Fourteen years ago, optical lattices and holographic tweezers were considered as a revolution, allowing for trapping andmanipulating multiple particles at the same time using laser light. Since then, near-field optical forces have arousedtremendous interest as they enable efficient trapping of a wide range of objects, from living cells to atoms, in integrateddevices. Yet, handling at will multiple objects using a guided light beam remains a challenging task for current on-chipoptical trapping techniques. We demonstrate here on-chip optical trapping of dielectric microbeads and bacteria usingone-dimensional optical lattices created by near-field mode beating along a f…

High Order modes in Cavity Resonator Integrated Guided mode resonance Filters (CRIGFs)

International audience

High-order modes in cavity-resonator-integrated guided-mode resonance filters (CRIGFs)

International audience; Cavity-resonator-integrated guided-mode resonance filters (CRIGFs) are optical filters based on weak coupling by a grating between a free-space propagating optical mode and a guided mode, like guided-mode resonance filters (GMRFs). As compared to GMRFs they offer narrowband reflection with small aperture and high angular acceptance. We report experimental characterization and theoretical modeling of unexpected high-order reflected modes in such devices. Using coupled-mode modeling and moiré analysis we provide physical insight on key mechanisms ruling CRIGF properties. This model could serve as a simple and efficient framework to design new reflectors with tailored s…

Hot electrons and nonlinear optical nanoantennas

The large field enhancement generated at the surface of a resonant plasmonic nanoparticle, or optical antennas, is the key mechanism that eventually led to the development of nonlinear plasmonics [1-2]. While the resonance may boost the nonlinear yield of an adjacent structure or surrounding medium, it was soon realized that optical antennas possess nonlinear coefficients comparable or exceeding those of standard nonlinear optical materials [3]. We discuss here two nonlinear optical processes — incoherent multi-photon luminescence (MPL) and coherent second-harmonic generation (SHG) — emitted from gold rod optical antennas upon local illumination with a tightly focused femtosecond near-infra…

Experimental demonstration of Bloch mode parity change in photonic crystal waveguide

We experimentally show coupling between two photonic crystal waveguide Bloch modes having a different parity. A monomode ridge waveguide etched in a silicon-on-insulator substrate and connecting to the photonic crystal waveguide allows us to excite the even Bloch mode. Transmission measurements, performed on a broad spectral range, show the even mode propagation along the defect line. Then, spectrally resolved near-field patterns obtained by using a scanning near-field optical microscope in collection mode for wavelengths, inside and outside the multimode region of the photonic crystal waveguide, clearly demonstrate coupling phenomenon between even and odd modes.

Photo-thermal modulation of surface plasmon polariton propagation at telecommunication wavelengths

International audience; We report on photo-thermal modulation of thin film surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) excited at telecom wavelengths and traveling at a gold/air interface. By operating a modulated continuous-wave or a Q-switched nanosecond pump laser, we investigate the photo-thermally induced modulation of SPP propagation mediated by the temperature-dependent ohmic losses in the gold film. We use a fiber-to-fiber characterization set-up to measure accurately the modulation depth of the SPP signal under photo-thermal excitation. On the basis of these measurements, we extract the thermo-plasmonic coefficient of the SPP mode defined as the temperature derivative of the SPP damping const…

On-chip periodic arrays of optical traps based on the superposition of guided modes in silicon waveguides

Since the pioneering work of Kawata and Tani [1], photonic waveguides have long been regarded as efficient optical conveyor belts for potential lab-on-a-chip applications. Indeed, near-field optical forces arising at the surface of such waveguides lead to efficient on-chip guided propulsion of micro- and even nanoparticles [2], as well as cells and bacteria in liquid solutions [3]. However, achieving stable and precisely controlled optical trapping of particles at the surface of a waveguide has been made possible only recently, and even then, it still requires complex photonic electro-optic tools to produce and handle on-chip standing waves [4].

Discontinuity induced angular distribution of photon plasmon coupling

Metal-dielectric transitions are important structures that can display a host of optical characteristics including excitation of plasmons. Metal-dielectric discontinuities can furthermore support plasmon excitation without a severe condition on the incident angle of the exciting photons. Using a semi-infinite thin gold film, we study surface plasmon (SP) excitation and the associated electromagnetic near-field distribution by recording the resulting plasmon interference patterns. In particular, we measure interference periods involving SPs at the scanable metal/air interface and the buried metal/glass one. Supported by optical near-field simulations and experiments, we demonstrate that the …

Sub-wavelength imaging of light confinement and propagation in SOI based photonic crystal devices

A light source is coupled into photonic crystal devices and a near field optical probe is used to observe the electromagnetic field propagation and distribution at a sub-wavelength scale. Bloch modes are clearly observed.

Far- and near-field characterization of a photonic-crystal-based microcavity on silicon-on-insulator

International audience

Extraordinary tuning of a nanocavity by a near-field probe

Abstract We report here an experimental observation of an extraordinary near-field interaction between a local probe and a small-volume solid-state nanocavity. We directly compare the normally observed near-field interaction regime driven by the perturbation theory and then report the extraordinary interaction regime. Subsequently, we show that the cavity can take up to 2 min to recover from this interaction after removing the probe and that leads to an extraordinary blue-shift of the cavity resonance wavelength (∼15 nm) which depends on the probe motion above the cavity and not the position. The reasons for this effect are not fully understood yet but we try to give some explanations.

2D Waveguided Bessel Beam Generated Using Integrated Metasurface-Based Plasmonic Axicon.

International audience; Near-field imaging of the propagation of a diffraction-free Bessel-type beam in a guided wave configuration generated by means of a metasurface-based axicon lens integrated on a silicon waveguide is reported. The operation of the axicon lens with a footprint as small as 11 μm2 is based on local engineering of the effective index of the silicon waveguide with plasmonic nanoresonators. This generic approach, which can be adapted to different types of planar lightwave circuit platforms, offers the possibility to design nano-engineered optical devicesbased on the use of plasmonic resonators to control light at the nanoscale.

Bloch mode coupling investigation in silicon-on-insulator W1 photonic crystal waveguide

We report in this paper the study of a W1 photonic crystal waveguide which supports two Bloch modes having different parity. A monomode ridge waveguide etched in a Silicon-On-Insulator substrate and connecting to the photonic crystal waveguide allows us to excite the even Bloch mode. Transmission measurements, performed on a broad spectral range, evidence the even mode propagation along the defect line and experimental spectrum is discussed in light of band diagram and FDTD calculations. Then spectrally resolved near-field patterns obtained by using a scanning near field optical microscope in collection mode for wavelengths inside and outside the multimode region of the photonic crystal wav…

Subwavelength imaging of field confinement in a waveguide-integrated photonic crystal cavity

A photonic crystal microcavity is designed to obtain an original field distribution inside the cavity and the structure is etched inside a silicon-on-insulator waveguide. Spectral location of the photonic band gap and cavity resonance are identified by using transmittance measurements and by analyzing the light collected by a scanning near-field optical microscope probe exactly positioned on the center of the cavity. The results obtained with the two techniques are in very good agreement. Then the near-field distribution above the device is mapped and light confinement inside the cavity is evidenced. Moreover, this confined light presents some remarkable patterns which clearly correspond to…

Bloch Modes Coupling in Photonic Crystal Waveguides

We investigate the properties of Bloch modes inside a photonic crystal waveguide. By using simultaneously a near field optical microscope and a transmittance setup, we demonstrate that Bloch modes having different parity are coupled.

Assembly of microparticles by optical trapping with a photonic crystal nanocavity

International audience; In this work, we report the auto-assembly experiments of micrometer sized particles by optical trapping in the evanescent field of a photonic crystal nanocavity. The nanocavity is inserted inside an optofluidic cell designed to enable the real time control of the nanoresonator transmittance as well as the real time visualization of the particles motion in the vicinity of the nanocavity. It is demonstrated that the optical trap above the cavity enables the assembly of multiple particles in respect of different stable conformations.

Optofluidic taming of a colloidal dimer with a silicon nanocavity

International audience; We report here the optical trapping of a heterogeneous colloidal dimer above a photonic crystal nanocavity used as an on-chip optical tweezer. The trapped dimer consists of a cluster of two dielectric microbeads of different sizes linked by van der Waals forces. The smallest bead, 1 μm in diameter, is observed to be preferentially trapped by the nanotweezer, leaving the second bead untrapped. The rotational nature of the trapped dimer Brownian motion is first evidenced. Then, in the presence of a fluid flow, control of its orientation and rotation is achieved. The whole system is found to show high rotational degrees of freedom, thereby acting as an effective flow-se…

Dispersion engineering for photonic crystal based nanophotonic devices

International audience

Nanobox array for silicon-on-insulator luminescence enhancement at room temperature

We report the light extraction enhancement obtained at room temperature from a square lattice of crystalline silicon nanoboxes etched in a silicon-on-insulator substrate. Luminescence spectra recorded under optical pumping show a 125 times emission enhancement as compared with the reference unpatterned silicon-on-insulator emission. In light of band diagram calculations, it is demonstrated that the emission enhancement partially results from the coupling between electron-hole recombination inside the silicon boxes and low group velocity optical modes of the array. Moreover, it is observed that these modes present different decoupling lengths and that a complete extraction of luminescence ca…

Optical near-field microscopy of light focusing through a photonic crystal flat lens

We report here the direct observation by using a scanning near-field microscopy technique of the light focusing through a photonic crystal flat lens designed and fabricated to operate at optical frequencies. The lens is fabricated using a III-V semiconductor slab, and we directly visualize the propagation of the electromagnetic waves by using a scanning near-field optical microscope. We directly evidence spatially, as well as spectrally, the focusing operating regime of the lens. At last, in light of the experimental scanning near-field optical microscope pictures, we discuss the lens ability to focus light at a subwavelength scale.

Coupling evanescently low loss Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) ridge waveguides(WGs) including high Q nanocavities: For light control

We have fabricated a multislotted optical nanoresonator with several spatial field distributions which are all addressable by the wavelength. The reported structure consists in an array of evanescently coupled single mode photonic crystal nanocavities. By using a scanning near-field optical microscope, we quantify the morphology of the different optical mode volumes and show that they consist in grids of light confined at the subwavelength scaleOver the last recent years, optical microcavities have proven their ability to slow down, control and even trap light inside an ultra small volume. Several approaches have led to quality factor (Q) records allowing to reach high photon life-time for …

Selective excitation of bright and dark plasmonic resonances of single gold nanorods.

Plasmonic dark modes are pure near-field resonances since their dipole moments are vanishing in far field. These modes are particularly interesting to enhance nonlinear light-matter interaction at the nanometer scale because radiative losses are mitigated therefore increasing the intrinsic lifetime of the resonances. However, the excitation of dark modes by standard far field approaches is generally inefficient because the symmetry of the electromagnetic near-field distribution has a poor overlap with the excitation field. Here, we demonstrate the selective optical excitation of bright and dark plasmonic modes of single gold nanorods by spatial phase-shaping the excitation beam. Using two-p…

Spatial Distribution of the Nonlinear Photoluminescence in Au Nanowires

When gold nanowires are excited with a tightly focused femtosecond laser a distributed nonlinear photoluminescence (N-PL) develops throughout the entire structure. A complete spaced-resolved analysis of the spectral signature of the nanowire nonlinear response is carried out to understand the origin of the distributed nonlinear response. We discuss various mechanisms to explain the experimental data and unambiguously demonstrate that the spatial and spectral extension of the N-PL in the nanowire are mainly dictated by the propagation of a surface plasmon excited at the pump wavelength. We also present experimental signature of near-field excitation of a broadband continuum of surface plasmo…

Coupling evanescently low loss Silicon-on-insulator ridge waveguides including high Q nanocavities for light control

Summary form only given. In this work, we propose an innovative way to achieve an air-slotted nanocavities by coupling evanescently low loss Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) ridge waveguides(WGs) including high Q nanocavities exhibiting an ultrasmall modal volume V. We first show that coupling two WGs allows us to achieve a field confinement within the air slot as low as lambda/30 while preserving a high group index of the guided modes. Then we demonstrate that merging such coupled WGs with state-of-the-art high-Q/small V nanocavities is a robust way to achieve a single compact (1 µm × 3 µm) air-slotted resonator on substrate. Finally, we extend the concept to multiple air-slotted resonator syste…