Electro-optic modulation of 1.5μm light in an active InGaAsP/InP quantum well waveguide

We report an InGaAsP/InP phase modulator operating in the 1.5μm wavelength band. Phase modulation of 7.5°/mA and 1.7°/mA of injected current have been measured for TE and TM polarised light respectively at a signal wavelength of 1.52 μm.

Directly modulated wavelength-multiplexed integrated microring laser array

The first demonstration of a directly modulated microring laser array is presented for on-off keyed, wavelength- division- multiplexed fiber-optic data transmission. GaInAsP-InP microring resonators oscillating at separate wavelengths in the 1.5-μm band are vertically coupled to a common passive waveguide bus, which is fabricated on the reverse side of the InP membrane. Two microrings defined with radii for a wavelength channel separation of 6 nm have been assessed for both individual and simultaneous operation. Negligible power penalty (<0.2 dB) is observed for wavelength-division-multiplexed operation with and without transmission over a 25-km fiber span in a manner which indicates low crosstalk between the integrated sources. A device area of less than 0.12 mm2 per microring on a common passive bus allows a highly scalable solution for short-reach wavelength-multiplexed links. © 2008 IEEE.

Structure-flexoelastic properties of bimesogenic liquid crystals.

In this paper, we report on the flexoelastic and viscoelastic ratios for a number of bimesogens compounds with the same generic structure. Values are obtained indirectly by measuring the flexoelectro-optic response in the chiral nematic phase. By varying the molecular structure we alter the bend angle, transverse dipole moment, and length of the molecule. First, to examine the influence of the bend angle we use a homologous series whereby the only alteration in the molecular structure is the number of methylene units in the aliphatic spacer, n . Results show that the flexoelastic ratio, e/K , and the effective flexoelectric coefficient, e , both exhibit an odd-even effect with values for n=odd being greater than that for n=even . This is understood in terms of an increase in the bend angle of the molecule and an increase in the transverse dipole moment. Second, in order to investigate the impact of the dipole moment, we have altered the mesogenic units so as to vary the longitudinal dipole moment and used different linkages in the aliphatic spacer in an attempt to alter the transverse dipole moment. Qualitatively, the results demonstrate that the odd-spaced bimesogen with larger transverse dipole moments exhibit larger flexoelastic ratios.

Flexoelectro-optic properties of chiral nematic liquid crystals in the uniform standing helix configuration.

The flexoelectro-optic effect describes the rotation of the optic axis of a short-pitch chiral nematic liquid crystal under the application of an electric field. We investigate the effect in the uniform standing helix, or "Grandjean" configuration. An in-plane electric field is applied. The director profile is determined numerically using a static one-dimensional continuum model with strong surface anchoring. The Berreman method is used to solve for plane-wave solutions to Maxwell's equations, and predict the optical properties of the resulting structure in general cases. By using a chiral nematic with short pitch between crossed polarizers an optical switch may be generated. With no applied field the configuration is nontransmissive at normal incidence, but becomes transmissive with an applied field. For this case, numerical results using the Berreman method are supplemented with an analytic theory and found to be in good agreement. The transmitted intensity as a function of tilt, the contrast ratio, and the tilt required for full intensity modulation are presented. The angular dependence of the transmission is calculated and the isocontrast curves are plotted. For typical material and cell parameters a switching speed of 0.017 ms and contrast ratio of 1500:1 at normal incidence are predicted, at a switch-on tilt of 41.5 degrees. Experimental verification of the analytic and numerical models is provided.

First-principles prediction of doped graphane as a high-temperature electron-phonon superconductor.

We predict by first-principles calculations that p-doped graphane is an electron-phonon superconductor with a critical temperature above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen. The unique strength of the chemical bonds between carbon atoms and the large density of electronic states at the Fermi energy arising from the reduced dimensionality give rise to a giant Kohn anomaly in the optical phonon dispersions and push the superconducting critical temperature above 90 K. As evidence of graphane was recently reported, and doping of related materials such as graphene, diamond, and carbon nanostructures is well established, superconducting graphane may be feasible.