arXiv subjects

Krishna C. Balram

Publications and source records attributed to Krishna C. Balram.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Piezoelectric optomechanical approaches for efficient quantum microwave-to-optical signal transduction: the need for co-design

Piezoelectric optomechanical platforms represent one of the most promising routes towards achieving quantum transduction of photons between the microwave and optical frequency domains. However, there are significant challenges to achieving near-unity transduction efficiency. We discuss such factors in the context of the two main approaches being pursued for high efficiency transduction. The first approach uses one-dimensional nanobeam optomechanical crystals excited by interdigitated transducers, and is characterized by large single-photon optomechanical coupling strength, limited intracavity pump photon population to avoid absorption-induced heating, and low phonon injection efficiency from the transducer to the optomechanical cavity. The second approach uses (quasi) bulk acoustic wave resonators integrated into photonic Fabry-Perot cavity geometries, and is characterized by low single-photon optomechanical coupling strength, high intracavity pump photon population without significant heating, and high phonon injection efficiency. After reviewing the current status of both approaches, we discuss the need for co-designing the electromechanical and optomechanical sub-systems in order to achieve high transduction efficiencies, taking the GaAs piezo-optomechanical platform as an example.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

The NV centre coupled to an ultra-small mode volume cavity: a high efficiency source of indistinguishable photons at 200 K

Solid state atom-like systems have great promise for linear optic quantum computing and quantum communication but are burdened by phonon sidebands and broadening due to surface charges. Nevertheless, coupling to a small mode volume cavity would allow high rates of extraction from even highly dephased emitters. We consider the nitrogen vacancy centre in diamond, a system understood to have a poor quantum optics interface with highly distinguishable photons, and design a silicon nitride cavity that allows 99 % efficient extraction of photons at 200 K with an indistinguishability of > 50%, improvable by external filtering. We analyse our design using FDTD simulations, and treat optical emission using a cavity QED master equation valid at and beyond strong coupling and which includes both ZPL broadening and sideband emission. The simulated design is compact (< 10 um), and owing to its planar geometry, can be fabricated using standard silicon processes. Our work therefore points towards scalable fabrication of non-cryogenic atom-like efficient sources of indistinguishable photons.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Suspended gallium arsenide platform for building large scale photonic integrated circuits: Passive devices

The spectacular success of silicon-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs) in the past decade naturally begs the question of whether similar fabrication procedures can be applied to other material platforms with more desirable optical properties. In this work, we demonstrate the individual passive components (grating couplers, waveguides, multi-mode interferometers and ring resonators) necessary for building large scale integrated circuits in suspended gallium arsenide (GaAs). Implementing PICs in suspended GaAs is a viable route towards achieving optimal system performance in areas with stringent device constraints like energy efficient transceivers for exascale systems, integrated electro-optic comb lasers, integrated quantum photonics, cryogenic photonics and electromechanical guided wave acousto-optics.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

High frequency guided mode resonances in mass-loaded, thin film gallium nitride surface acoustic wave devices

We demonstrate high-frequency (> 3 GHz), high quality factor radio frequency (RF) resonators in unreleased thin film gallium nitride (GaN) on sapphire and silicon carbide substrates by exploiting acoustic guided mode (Lamb wave) resonances. The associated energy trapping, due to mass loading from the gold electrodes, allows us to efficiently excite these resonances from a 50 $Ω$ input. The higher phase velocity, combined with lower electrode damping, enables high quality factors with moderate electrode pitch, and provides a viable route towards high-frequency piezoelectric devices. The GaN platform, with its ability to guide and localize high-frequency sound on the surface of a chip with access to high-performance active devices, will serve as a key building block for monolithically integrated RF front-ends.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

High-frequency, resonant acousto-optic modulators fabricated in a MEMS foundry platform

We report the design and characterization of high frequency, resonant acousto-optic modulators (AOM) in a MEMS foundry process. The doubly-resonant cavity design, with short ($L{\sim}10.5\, μm$) acoustic and optical cavity lengths, allows us to measure acousto-optic modulation at GHz frequencies with high modulation efficiency. In contrast to traditional AOMs, these devices rely on the perturbation induced by the displacement of cavity boundaries, which can be significantly enhanced in a suspended geometry. This platform can serve as the building block for fast 2D spatial light modulators (SLM), low-cost integrated free space optical links and optically enhanced low-noise RF receivers.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Tuning and Stabilization of Optomechanical Crystal Cavities Through NEMS Integration

Nanobeam optomechanical crystals, in which localized GHz frequency mechanical modes are coupled to wavelength-scale optical modes, are being employed in a variety of experiments across different material platforms. Here, we demonstrate the electrostatic tuning and stabilization of such devices, by integrating a Si$_3$N$_4$ slot-mode optomechanical crystal cavity with a nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) element, which controls the displacement of an additional "tuning" beam within the optical near-field of the optomechanical cavity. Under DC operation, tuning of the optical cavity wavelength across several optical linewidths with little degradation of the optical quality factor ($Q\approx10^5$) is observed. The AC response of the tuning mechanism is measured, revealing actuator resonance frequencies in the 10 MHz to 20 MHz range, consistent with the predictions from simulations. Feedback control of the optical mode resonance frequency is demonstrated, and alternative actuator geometries are presented.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2016

Efficient fiber-coupled single-photon source based on quantum dots in a photonic-crystal waveguide

Many photonic quantum information processing applications would benefit from a high brightness, fiber-coupled source of triggered single photons. Here, we present a fiber-coupled photonic-crystal waveguide single-photon source relying on evanescent coupling of the light field from a tapered out-coupler to an optical fiber. A two-step approach is taken where the performance of the tapered out-coupler is recorded first on an independent device containing an on-chip reflector. Reflection measurements establish that the chip-to-fiber coupling efficiency exceeds 80 %. The detailed characterization of a high-efficiency photonic-crystal waveguide extended with a tapered out-coupling section is then performed. The corresponding overall single-photon source efficiency is 10.9 % $\pm$ 2.3 %, which quantifies the success probability to prepare an exciton in the quantum dot, couple it out as a photon in the waveguide, and subsequently transfer it to the fiber. The applied out-coupling method is robust, stable over time, and broadband over several tens of nanometers, which makes it a highly promising pathway to increase the efficiency and reliability of planar chip-based single-photon sources.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Acousto-optic and opto-acoustic modulation in piezo-optomechanical circuits

Acoustic wave devices provide a promising chip-scale platform for efficiently coupling radio frequency (RF) and optical fields. Here, we use an integrated piezo-optomechanical circuit platform that exploits both the piezoelectric and photoelastic coupling mechanisms to link 2.4 GHz RF waves to 194 THz (1550 nm) optical waves, through coupling to propagating and localized 2.4 GHz acoustic waves. We demonstrate acousto-optic modulation, resonant in both the optical and mechanical domains, in which waveforms encoded on the RF carrier are mapped to the optical field. We also show opto-acoustic modulation, in which the application of optical pulses gates the transmission of propagating acoustic waves. The time-domain characteristics of this system under both pulsed RF and pulsed optical excitation are considered in the context of the different physical pathways involved in driving the acoustic waves, and modeled through the coupled mode equations of cavity optomechanics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Coherent coupling between radio frequency, optical, and acoustic waves in piezo-optomechanical circuits

The interaction of optical and mechanical modes in nanoscale optomechanical systems has been widely studied for applications ranging from sensing to quantum information science. Here, we develop a platform for cavity optomechanical circuits in which localized and interacting 1550 nm photons and 2.4 GHz phonons are combined with photonic and phononic waveguides. Working in GaAs facilitates manipulation of the localized mechanical mode either with a radio frequency field through the piezo-electric effect, or optically through the strong photoelastic effect. We use this to demonstrate a novel acoustic wave interference effect, analogous to coherent population trapping in atomic systems, in which the coherent mechanical motion induced by the electrical drive can be completely cancelled out by the optically-driven motion. The ability to manipulate cavity optomechanical systems with equal facility through either photonic or phononic channels enables new device and system architectures for signal transduction between the optical, electrical, and mechanical domains.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Moving boundary and photoelastic coupling in GaAs optomechanical resonators

Chip-based cavity optomechanical systems are being considered for applications in sensing, metrology, and quantum information science. Critical to their development is an understanding of how the optical and mechanical modes interact, quantified by the coupling rate $g_{0}$. Here, we develop GaAs optomechanical resonators and investigate the moving dielectric boundary and photoelastic contributions to $g_{0}$. First, we consider coupling between the fundamental radial breathing mechanical mode and a 1550 nm band optical whispering gallery mode in microdisks. For decreasing disk radius from $R=5$ $μ$m to $R=1$ $μ$m, simulations and measurements show that $g_{0}$ changes from being dominated by the moving boundary contribution to having an equal photoelastic contribution. Next, we design and demonstrate nanobeam optomechanical crystals in which a $2.5$ GHz mechanical breathing mode couples to a 1550 nm optical mode predominantly through the photoelastic effect. We show a significant (30 $\%$) dependence of $g_{0}$ on the device's in-plane orientation, resulting from the difference in GaAs photoelastic coefficients along different crystalline axes, with fabricated devices exhibiting $g_{\text{0}}/2π$ as high as 1.1 MHz for orientation along the [110] axis. GaAs nanobeam optomechanical crystals are a promising system which can combine the demonstrated large optomechanical coupling strength with additional functionality, such as piezoelectric actuation and incorporation of optical gain media.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2011

Tensile-Strained Germanium-on-Insulator Substrate Fabrication for Silicon-Compatible Optoelectronics

We present a method to fabricate tensile-strained germanium-on-insulator (GOI) substrates using heteroepitaxy and layer transfer techniques. The motivation is to obtain a high-quality wafer-scale GOI platform suitable for silicon-compatible optoelectronic device fabrication. Crystal quality is assessed using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy. A biaxial tensile film strain of 0.16% is verified by XRD. Suitability for device manufacturing is demonstrated through fabrication and characterization of metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors that exhibit photoresponse beyond 1.55 μm. The substrate fabrication process is compatible with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor manufacturing and represents a potential route to wafer-scale integration of silicon-compatible optoelectronics.

physics.optics↗