Reconfigurable free-form metamaterials: a new design paradigm for integrated optoelectronics based on 2D materials

可重构自由形态超材料：基于二维材料的集成光电子学新设计范式

• 批准号: 1936729
• 负责人: Berardi Sensale-Rodriguez
• 金额: $ 37.98万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-08-15 至 2023-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1936729&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Reconfigurable; free; form; metamaterials; new; Reconfigurable; free; form; metamaterials; new

Nontechnical:Silicon photonics is a rapidly growing industry, potentially reaching an annual value of over a billion dollars in the coming decade. In parallel, the complexity of photonic integrated circuits has increased by more than an order of magnitude. The optical response of silicon at wavelengths used for telecommunications, however, is relatively weak. Current optoelectronic technologies therefore rely on integrating other materials with the desired properties. In this context, graphene has emerged as an excellent candidate to realize silicon-compatible optoelectronic devices. Graphene is an atom-thick, two-dimensional material made from carbon. It is nearly 100 times stronger than steel, conducts heat and electricity efficiently, and has unusual optical properties. Recent experimental reports have already approached the predicted performance limits of graphene-based devices. It is not obvious how the device performance can be further enhanced while simultaneously reducing device size. Thus, new paradigms in graphene-based optoelectronic devices are required. This project will develop a new approach for realizing integrated optoelectronic devices. Nanofabrication will be used to integrate graphene into active devices and engineer the effective optical properties with nm scale resolution. These devices will be fully compatible with CMOS technology and promise dramatic reductions in device footprint and losses, while providing fast-speed with low energy consumption. The project brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the United States, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland through the NSF-US/Ireland R&D Partnership. International cooperation will provide exceptional opportunities for international student exchange and research collaboration as part of this project.Technical:The proposed work aims to develop a new family of graphene-based CMOS-compatible optoelectronics. The two premises behind the proposed approach are that: (i) via nanofabrication, it is possible to spatially engineer the local refractive index of the device at deep sub-wavelength dimensions; and, (ii) by integrating two-dimensional material layers, it is possible to provide active functionality in a reduced area. The operation of these devices relies on the coupling between a number of resonant nano-photonic modes, which does not only make them robust to fabrication errors but also enables broad optical bandwidth in a reduced footprint. Three main research thrusts are identified: (a) development of high-performance ultra-compact graphene electro-optic modulators. (b) Extension of the proposed design concept to other optoelectronic devices beyond modulators (e.g., phase shifters, active couplers, polarizers, and sensors). (c) Monolithically integrate multiple devices on an optical chip and drive with proper CMOS circuitry. The proposed research is highly transformative since it combines two emerging research concepts so to overcome the main limitations of current integrated optoelectronic technologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

非技术性：硅光子学是一个快速增长的行业，在未来十年中可能达到超过十亿美元的年价值。同时，光子整合电路的复杂性增加了不仅仅是一个数量级。然而，在用于电信的波长下硅的光学响应相对较弱。因此，当前的光电技术依赖于将其他材料与所需特性集成在一起。在这种情况下，石墨烯已成为实现硅兼容光电设备的绝佳候选者。石墨烯是一种由碳制成的原子厚的二维材料。它比钢强100倍，有效地进行热和电力，并且具有异常的光学特性。最近的实验报告已经接近了基于石墨烯的设备的性能限制。在同时减小设备尺寸的同时，如何进一步增强设备性能并不明显。因此，需要基于石墨烯的光电设备中的新范例。该项目将开发一种实现集成光电设备的新方法。纳米制作将用于将石墨烯集成到活性设备中，并以NM尺度分辨率来设计有效的光学特性。这些设备将与CMOS技术完全兼容，并有望在设备足迹和损耗中急剧减少，同时为低能消耗提供快速的速度。该项目通过NSF-US/Ireland R＆D合作伙伴关系汇集了来自美国，北爱尔兰和爱尔兰共和国的研究人员的多学科团队。作为该项目的一部分，国际合作将为国际学生交流和研究合作提供非凡的机会。技术：拟议的工作旨在开发一个新的基于石墨烯的CMOS兼容光电子学。提出的方法背后的两个前提是：（i）通过纳米制作，可以在深层次波长度下空间设计设备的局部折射率； （ii）通过整合二维材料层，可以在还原区域提供主动功能。这些设备的操作依赖于许多共振纳米光子模式之间的耦合，这不仅使它们适合制造错误，而且还可以在降低的足迹中实现宽阔的光学带宽。确定了三个主要的研究推力：（a）高性能超压缩石墨烯电气调节剂的发展。 （b）将拟议的设计概念扩展到调制器以外的其他光电设备（例如相位变速器，活动耦合器，极化器和传感器）。 （c）单层将多个设备集成在光学芯片上，并使用适当的CMOS电路驱动。该拟议的研究具有很高的变革性，因为它结合了两个新兴的研究概念，因此要克服当前集成光电技术的主要局限性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛影响的评估标准来通过评估来进行评估的。