Integrated Optics

Analogous to an electronic circuit, the goal of integrated optics is to develop miniaturized optical devices of high functionality on a common substrate. This ambitious end goal will have profound effects in a wide variety of fundamental applications from telecommunications, to compact sensors for aerospace, security, and biomedical, to all optical computation. PSI contributes with novel semiconductor materials and innovative component technologies such as integrated optical waveguide design and optical isolators and modulators based on interactions with surface plasmons confined to thin metal films and patterned structures.

Fully integrated surface plasmon based optical isolator

Specially engineered semiconductor materials support PSI’s work in integrated optics, non-linear optical materials, and trace gas sensing. Current emphasis on orientation patterned semiconductors such as GaAs and ZnSe are enabling non-linear optical processes such as difference frequency generation (DFG) and optical parametrical down conversion at longer wavelengths in midwave infrared. PSI is also working with band structure engineered devices that define two-dimensional quantum confinement of electron gas (2DEG) for use as frequency selective terahertz (THz) detector.

Orientation patterned GaAs (OPGaAs)