Experimental demonstration of near-infrared epsilon-near-zero multilayer metamaterial slabs

Near-infrared epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterial slabs based on silver-germanium (Ag-Ge) multilayers are experimentally demonstrated. Transmission, reflection and absorption spectra are characterized and used to determine the complex refractive indices and the effective permittivities of the ENZ metamaterial slabs, which match the results obtained from both the numerical simulations and the optical nonlocalities analysis. A rapid post-annealing process is used to reduce the collision frequency of silver and therefore decrease the optical absorption loss of multilayer metamaterial slabs. Furthermore, multilayer grating structures are studied to enhance the optical transmission and also tune the location of ENZ wavelength. The demonstrated near-infrared ENZ multilayer metamaterial slabs are important for realizing many exotic applications, such as phase front shaping and engineering of photonic density of states.

Deterministic integrated tuning of multi-cavity resonances and phase for slow-light in coupled photonic crystal cavities

We present the integrated chip-scale tuning of multiple photonic crystal cavities. The optimized implementation allows effective and precise tuning of multiple cavity resonances (up to ~1.60 nm/mW) and inter-cavity phase (~ 0.038 pi/mW) by direct local temperature tuning on silicon nanomembranes. Through designing the serpentine metal electrodes and careful electron-beam alignment to avoid cavity mode overlap, the coupled photonic crystal L3 cavities preserve their high quality factors. The deterministic resonance and phase control enables switching between the all-optical analogue of electromagnetically-induced-transparency (EIT) to flat-top filter lineshapes, with future applications of trapping photons/photonic transistors and optoelectronic modulators.

Digital resonance tuning of high-Q/Vm silicon photonic crystal nanocavities by atomic layer deposition

We propose and demonstrate the digital resonance tuning of high-Q/Vm silicon photonic crystal nanocavities using a self-limiting atomic layer deposition technique. Control of resonances in discrete steps of 122 +/- 18 pm per hafnium oxide atomic layer is achieved through this post-fabrication process, nearly linear over a full 17 nm tuning range. The cavity Q is maintained in this perturbative process, and can reach up to its initial values of 49,000 or more. Our results are highly controllable, applicable to many material systems, and particularly critical to matching resonances and transitions involving mesoscopic optical cavities.

Nanocrystals in silicon photonic crystal standing-wave cavities as spin-photon phase gates for quantum information processing

By virtue of a silicon high-Q photonic crystal nanocavity, we propose and examine theoretically interactions between a stationary electron spin qubit of a semiconductor nanocrystal and a flying photon qubit. Firstly, we introduce, derive and demonstrate for the first time the explicit conditions towards realization of a spin-photon two-qubit phase gate, and propose these interactions as a generalized quantum interface for quantum information processing. Secondly, we examine novel single-spin-induced reflections as direct evidence of intrinsic bare and dressed modes in our coupled nanocrystal-cavity system. The excellent physical integration of this silicon system provides tremendous potential for large-scale quantum information processing.