SUMMARY
UCLA researchers in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have utilized the unique optical properties of bulk transition metal dichalcogenides (TMCDs) to achieve more compacted integrated photonics circuits that consume up to 50% less energy than traditional materials.
BACKGROUND
Photonic integrated circuits are driving applications in a variety of fields: telecommunication, aerospace and astronautics, biomedical instrumentation, etc. However, though conceptually similar to electronic integrated circuits, integrated photonics fail to exhibit a similar increasing trend in integration density and complexity as the electronic counterpart. When today there can be billions of transistors on a commercial electronic chip, the maximum number of integrated photonics components on a single chip is still below 10,000. Furthermore, energy consumed during electrical-to-optical signal conversion in optoelectronic communication links is the dominant energy loss mechanism for large data processing centers. In order to overcome these challenges, a new material platform for creating photonics components with smaller footprints and higher energy efficiency is of great significance.
INNOVATION
UCLA researchers have applied the unique optical properties of TMCDs towards this outstanding challenge owing to the 25% enhancement in refractive index exhibit by these materials over traditional semiconductor components (Si, InP and GaAs). Modulators made of TMDCs demonstrated a 50% reduction in both device dimensions and energy consumption when compared to commonly used Si. In addition, bulk TMDCs contain self-passivated layers, making the material an ideal building block for lattice-mismatch free integrated photonic components. Importantly, TMDCs are compatible with the well-established micro- and nano-fabrication techniques. Overall, the disclosure highlights the capacity of TMCDs to expand the utility of photonic integrated circuits to meet the growing demand across a variety of fields.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
- Integrated optics
- Quantum optics
- Optical interconnects
- Metasurfaces
- Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR)
ADVANTAGES
- Uses less power
- Smaller components
- Higher circuit density
- Compatible with current fabrication techniques
- Ideal for lattice-mismatch materials integration
- Quantum light-materials interaction enhancement is an inherent property of the material
RELATED MATERIALS
STATUS OF DEVELOPMENT
The material has been developed and tested for photonic chips.