Light confining devices using all-dielectric metamaterial cladding
An all-dielectric metamaterial cladding is provided that can strongly confine light inside conventional low-index dielectric waveguides for use with photonic integrated circuits and nano-photonic devices. A class of metamaterials with dual electric and magnetic anisotropy along with giant birefringence can provide the ideal quasi-transverse electromagnetic mode propagation inside a glass core. A Transformed Cladding Waveguide can show an order of magnitude decreased cross-talk as compared to conventional waveguides.
1. An optical waveguide comprising:
a core that is substantially transparent at infrared wavelengths, the core comprising a longitudinal axis and orthogonal axes, x and y, that are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the core further comprising a radius in a plane defined by the orthogonal axes that is a fraction of the infrared wavelengths; and
a metamaterial cladding disposed around the core, the metamaterial cladding comprising alternating thin film layers of a high index semiconductor and a low index cladding material, wherein each layer of a high index semiconductor and the low index cladding material comprises a width that is a fraction of the infrared wavelengths, and a cladding anisotropy configured to:
provide total internal reflection;
provide quasi-transverse electromagnetic mode propagation of electromagnetic signals along the longitudinal axis of the core; and
provide strong confinement of light inside the core using metamaterial anisotropy.
2. The waveguide as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the core further comprises silica or silicon.
3. The waveguide as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the core further comprises a cross-sectional shape that is circular, square, rectangular, a slab, a slot, a strip, or a rib.
4. The waveguide as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the metamaterial cladding comprises a homogeneous lossless anisotropic metamaterial.
5. The waveguide as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the high index semiconductor is Germanium or Silicon.
6. The waveguide as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the low index cladding material comprises one or more of air, silica, porous silica, or silicon.
7. A photonic integrated device, comprising at least one optical waveguide as set forth in claim 1 .
8. A method for routing and transferring information on a photonic integrated circuit using electronic and electromagnetic signals operating at infrared wavelengths, the method comprising the steps of:
a) providing at least one optical waveguide for use with the signals, the optical waveguide comprising:
i) a core that is substantially transparent at the infrared wavelengths comprising a longitudinal axis, z, and further comprising orthogonal axes, x and y, that are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the core comprising a radius in a plane defined by the x and y axes that is a fraction of the infrared wavelengths, and
ii) a metamaterial cladding disposed around the core, the metamaterial cladding comprising alternating thin film layers of a high index semiconductor and a low index cladding material, wherein each layer of a high index semiconductor and the low index cladding material comprises a width that is a fraction of the infrared wavelengths, and a cladding anisotropy configured to: provide total internal reflection;
iii) a metamaterial cladding with strong anistropy to provide quasi-transverse electromagnetic mode propagation of the electromagnetic signals along the z axis of the core; the metamaterial cladding configured to provide lossless sub-diffraction confinement of light; and
b) placing the at least one optical waveguide on the photonic integrated circuit between an infrared transmitting device and an infrared receiving device; and
c) transmitting the signals between the infrared transmitting and receiving devices.
9. The method as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the core comprises silica.
10. The method as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the core comprises a cross-section shape that comprises one or more from a group consisting of circular, square, rectangular, slab, slot, strip and rib.
11. The method as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the cladding comprises a homogeneous anisotropic metamaterial.
12. The method as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the metamaterial comprises Germanium.
13. The method as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the cladding comprises alternating layers of Germanium and a second cladding material, wherein each layer of Germanium and the second cladding material comprises a width that is a fraction of the infrared wavelengths.
14. The method as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the second cladding material comprises one or more from a group consisting of air, silica, porous silica and silicon.
15. An optical waveguide comprising: a core that is substantially isotropic transparent at infrared wavelengths, the core comprising: a longitudinal axis; first and second orthogonal axes that are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and a radius in a plane defined by the first and second orthogonal axes that is a fraction of the infrared wavelengths; and a metamaterial cladding disposed around the core, the metamaterial cladding having an all-dielectric anisotropy configured to provide total internal reflection using a first component of a cladding dielectric tensor which is perpendicular to an interface of the core and the cladding and to provide strong confinement of light inside the core using a second component of the cladding dielectric tensor which is parallel to the interface of the core and the cladding.
16. The waveguide of claim 15 , wherein the core comprises homogenous silica or silicon.
17. The waveguide as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the core further comprises a cross-sectional shape that is circular, square, rectangular, a slab, a slot, a strip, or a rib.
18. The waveguide as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the cladding comprises a homogeneous lossless anisotropic metamaterial.
19. A photonic integrated device, comprising at least one optical waveguide as set forth in claim 15 .
20. The waveguide as set forth in claim 15 , wherein the cladding comprises alternating thin film layers of a high index semiconductor and a low index cladding material, wherein each layer of a high index semiconductor and the low index cladding material comprises a width that is a fraction of the infrared wavelengths.
21. The waveguide as set forth in claim 20 , wherein the high index semiconductor is Germanium or Silicon.
22. The waveguide as set forth in claim 21 , wherein the low index cladding material comprises one or more of air, silica, porous silica, or silicon.