Micro- and nano-cavity lasers for sensing applications

Semiconductor Lasers;Photonic Crystals

Giannopoulos, Antonios

关键词: Semiconductor Lasers;    Photonic Crystals;   

Others  :  https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/16080/Giannopoulos_Antonios.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

美国|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

Lasers can be used for a multitude of sensing applications. This dissertation discusses two types of lasers for sensing applications. The use of an integrated vertical-cavitysurface-emitting laser and photodetector as a position sensor is first detailed. Design,fabrication, and simulation of the position sensing capabilities are discussed. The use ofa grating as the position gauge ultimately makes the range of measurement very large.Experimental demonstration of position sensing and velocity sensing is shown.Photonic crystal membrane lasers, a type of nanoscale laser, are advantageous for sensing because of their compactness andultra-small modal volume. Different aspects and properties of photonic crystal membrane lasers are discussed. The thermal characteristics of a photonic crystal laser are studied using a finite element method. Two new types of photonic crystal membrane cavity lasers are also presented and discussed: the decimated photonic crystal cavity and the heterostructure photonic crystal cavity. The later cavityis analyzed in greater detail via experiment and simulation.Progress towards creating an electrically injected photonic crystal emitter is also discussed. The materials design and fabrication technique are presented. Here, the devices are fabricated in the InGaAs/GaAs material system. An oxidation layer is used to create a current aperture as well as to provide index contrast to the photonic crystal membrane. Calculations pertaining to the quality factor of the cavities in the diode configuration are presented. A fabrication sequence and required process development is discussed, as well as progress toward laser diode fabrication.