Flip-chip optical couplers with scalable I/O count for silicon photonics

A scalable and tolerant optical interfacing method based on flip-chip bonding is developed for silicon photonics packaging. Bidirectional optical couplers between multiple silicon-on-insulator waveguides and single-mode polymer waveguides are designed and fabricated. Successful operation is verified experimentally in the 1530-1570 nm spectral window. At the wavelength of 1570 nm, the coupling loss is as low as 0.8 dB for both polarization states and the planar misalignment loss is less than 0.6 dB for TE and 0.3 dB for TM polarization in a lateral silicon-polymer waveguide offset range of ± 2 µm. The coupling loss does not exhibit any temperature dependence up to the highest measurement point of 70°C.

Slow light on a printed circuit board

Slow-light effects induced by stimulated Raman scattering in polymer waveguides on a printed circuit board are shown to enable a widely tunable delay of broadband optical signals, suggesting an advantageous platform for optical information processing and ultrafast optical waveform transformation.

Applications of advanced hybrid organic-inorganic nanomaterials: from laboratory to market

Today cross-cutting approaches, where molecular engineering and clever processing are synergistically coupled, allow the chemist to tailor complex hybrid systems of various shapes with perfect mastery at different size scales, composition, functionality, and morphology. Hybrid materials with organic-inorganic or bio-inorganic character represent not only a new field of basic research but also, via their remarkable new properties and multifunctional nature, hybrids offer prospects for many new applications in extremely diverse fields. The description and discussion of the major applications of hybrid inorganic-organic (or biologic) materials are the major topic of this critical review. Indeed, today the very large set of accessible hybrid materials span a wide spectrum of properties which yield the emergence of innovative industrial applications in various domains such as optics, micro-electronics, transportation, health, energy, housing, and the environment among others (526 references).