Photonics

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Editor’s Choice Articles

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers, or important in the respective research area. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.

40 pages, 14703 KB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceReview

Recent Trends and Advances of Silicon-Based Integrated Microwave Photonics

by Reza Maram, Saket Kaushal, José Azaña and Lawrence R Chen

Photonics 2019, 6(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics6010013 - 30 Jan 2019

Cited by 62 | Viewed by 12948

Abstract

Multitude applications of photonic devices and technologies for the generation and manipulation of arbitrary and random microwave waveforms, at unprecedented processing speeds, have been proposed in the literature over the past three decades. This class of photonic applications for microwave engineering is known as microwave photonics (MWP). The vast capabilities of MWP have allowed the realization of key functionalities which are either highly complex or simply not possible in the microwave domain alone. Recently, this growing field has adopted the integrated photonics technologies to develop microwave photonic systems with enhanced robustness as well as with a significant reduction of size, cost, weight, and power consumption. In particular, silicon photonics technology is of great interest for this aim as it offers outstanding possibilities for integration of highly-complex active and passive photonic devices, permitting monolithic integration of MWP with high-speed silicon electronics. In this article, we present a review of recent work on MWP functions developed on the silicon platform. We particularly focus on newly reported designs for signal modulation, arbitrary waveform generation, filtering, true-time delay, phase shifting, beam steering, and frequency measurement. Full article

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 6890 KB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Multi-Spectral Quantum Cascade Lasers on Silicon With Integrated Multiplexers

by Eric J. Stanton, Alexander Spott, Jon Peters, Michael L. Davenport, Aditya Malik, Nicolas Volet, Junqian Liu, Charles D. Merritt, Igor Vurgaftman, Chul Soo Kim, Jerry R. Meyer and John E. Bowers

Photonics 2019, 6(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics6010006 - 24 Jan 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6583

Abstract

Multi-spectral midwave-infrared (mid-IR) lasers are demonstrated by directly bonding quantum cascade epitaxial gain layers to silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides with arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexers. Arrays of distributed feedback (DFB) and distributed Bragg-reflection (DBR) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting at ∼4.7 µm wavelength are coupled to AWGs on the same chip. Low-loss spectral beam combining allows for brightness scaling by coupling the light generated by multiple input QCLs into the fundamental mode of a single output waveguide. Promising results are demonstrated and further improvements are in progress. This device can lead to compact and sensitive chemical detection systems using absorption spectroscopy across a broad spectral range in the mid-IR as well as a high-brightness multi-spectral source for power scaling. Full article

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Editor’s Choice Articles

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI