Strain-tuning of periodic optical devices : tunable gratings and photonic crystals

The advancement of micro- and nano-scale optical devices has heralded micromirrors, semiconductor micro- and nano-lasers, and photonic crystals, among many. Broadly defined with the field of microphotonics and microelectromechanical systems, these innovations have targeted applications in integrated photonic chips and optical telecommunications. To further advance the state-of-the-art, dynamically tunable devices are required not only for demand-based reconfiguration of the optical response, but also for compensation to external disturbances and tight device fabrication tolerances. In this thesis, specific implementations of strain-tunability in two photonic devices will be discussed: the fundamental diffractive grating element, and a photonic band gap microcavity waveguide. For the first part, we demonstrate high-resolution analog tunability in microscale diffractive optics. The design concept consists of a diffractive grating defined onto a piezoelectric-driven deformable membrane, microfabricated through a combination of surface and bulk micromachining. The grating is strain-tuned through actuation of high-quality thin-film piezoelectric actuators. Device characterization shows grating period tunability on the order of a nanometer, limited by measurement uncertainty and noise. The results are in good agreement with analytical theory and numerical models, and present immediate implications in research and industry. For the second part, we generalize the piezoelectric strain-tunable membrane platform for strain-tuning of a silicon photonic band gap microcavity waveguide. Additional motivation for this strain-tuning approach in silicon photonic crystals lies in:

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Wong, Chee Wei, 1975-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Sang-Gook Kim, George Barbastathis and Lionel C. Kimerling.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/17008

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/17008