SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STRONG PHOTON LOCALIZATION BY DISORDERED PHOTONIC CRYSTAL STRUCTURES
First Claim
1. An optical device comprising:
- a slab, said slab comprising a material; and
a plurality of elements arranged in a lattice, said lattice elements being formed in said slab by removing material, with each said lattice element having a center located at a position (x,y), wherein first and second lattice elements differ in shape or orientation depending on their position (x,y) in the lattice, and said lattice is disordered due to randomized orientation of said lattice elements or geometrical perturbations introduced into said lattice elements.
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Abstract
Periodic high-index-contrast photonic crystal (PhC) structures such as two-dimensional arrays of air holes in dielectric slabs inhibit light propagation in bands of frequencies and confine light in dislocations where the lattice periodicity is broken. The present invention is a conceptually different approach to photon localization in PhC structures. The disclosed design concept introduces structural perturbations uniformly throughout the fabricated crystal by deliberately changing the shape or orientations of elements that form the lattice. Optimized introduction of such random structural perturbations produces optical nanocavities with ultra-small modal volumes and high quality (Q) factors of over 250,000. Applications of such disordered photonic crystal structures are disclosed for optical sensing systems and random nano-lasers.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An optical device comprising:
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a slab, said slab comprising a material; and a plurality of elements arranged in a lattice, said lattice elements being formed in said slab by removing material, with each said lattice element having a center located at a position (x,y), wherein first and second lattice elements differ in shape or orientation depending on their position (x,y) in the lattice, and said lattice is disordered due to randomized orientation of said lattice elements or geometrical perturbations introduced into said lattice elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18)
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13. A method for measurements of spectral features comprising the steps of:
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excitation of an optical device using a tunable laser, said optical device comprising a slab, said slab comprising a material and a plurality of elements arranged in a lattice, said lattice elements being formed in said slab by removing material, with each said lattice element having a center located at a position (x,y), wherein first and second lattice elements differ in shape or orientation depending on their position (x,y) in the lattice, and said lattice is disordered due to randomized orientation of said lattice elements or geometrical perturbations introduced into said lattice elements; detection of transmission or scattering or backscattering spectra using a photodetector; and analysis of a recorded spectrum using a computer;
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14. A method for tracking changes in spectral features of a optical device, said optical device comprising a slab, said slab comprising a material and a plurality of elements arranged in a lattice, said lattice elements being formed in said slab by removing material, with each said lattice element having a center located at a position (x,y), wherein first and second lattice elements differ in shape or orientation depending on their position (x,y) in the lattice, and said lattice is disordered due to randomized orientation of said lattice elements or geometrical perturbations introduced into said lattice elements, comprising the steps of:
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identifying a wavelength associated with a minima or maxima in a recorded spectral feature using computer algorithms; recording the wavelengths of said minima or maxima over time; and
plotting a time trace of said recorded wavelengths for further analysis with a computer.
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15. A method for tracking changes in spectral features of a device, said device comprising a slab, said slab comprising a material and a plurality of elements arranged in a lattice, said lattice elements being formed in said slab by removing material, with each said lattice element having a center located at a position (x,y), wherein first and second lattice elements differ in shape or orientation depending on their position (x,y) in the lattice, and said lattice is disordered due to randomized orientation of said lattice elements or geometrical perturbations introduced into said lattice elements, comprising the steps of:
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recording spectral features before exposure to a sample (baseline); exposing said device to said sample;
recording spectral features during and after sample exposure; andanalyzing changes in spectral features using computer algorithms. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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Specification