EAGER: On-Chip Optical Amplifier Using Novel Erbium-Chloride Silicate Single Crystal Nanowires

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this proposal is to conduct early stage exploratory research to develop a high-gain on-chip optical amplifier using erbium chloride silicate, a novel material recently synthesized by the PI's group. The main advantage of the new material is the high quality of the single crystals with high erbium density. The intellectual merits lie in the novelty of materials, the importance of the fundamental understanding of this important class of materials, and the potential impact to on-chip nanophotonic systems. Understanding the fundamental issues such as lifetimes of various states and linewidths of the transitions would impact many future device applications. The transformative aspect of this research is the paradigm shift from doped materials to rare-earth compounds as high gain materials. Optical amplifiers on the scale of 100 nanometers would provide a game-changing solution for on-chip nanophotonic systems, allowing for unprecedentedly large-scale integration of computing and communication functionalities. Such high-risk and high pay-off research is ideally suited for an EAGER project. The broader impact of the proposed research includes an array of other applications such as quantum information at telecomm wavelengths and on-chip atomic clocks. The enabled photonic capabilities would fundamentally revolutionize and potentially unify electronics-based computing and photonics-based communication, impacting information technology and our society in general. The proposed efforts will also integrate research with education of minority and female students. The results of the research will be rapidly incorporated into undergraduate projects and graduate curriculum, so that education can benefit from the proposed research in a timely fashion.