High coupling efficiency waveguide grating couplers on lithium niobate.

We propose and validate a new, to the best of our knowledge, approach for high coupling efficiency (CE) grating couplers (GCs) in the lithium niobate on insulator photonic integration platform. Enhanced CE is achieved by increasing the grating strength using a high refractive index polysilicon layer on the GC. Due to the high refractive index of the polysilicon layer, the light in the lithium niobate waveguide is pulled up to the grating region. The optical cavity formed in the vertical direction enhances the CE of the waveguide GC. With this novel structure, simulations predicted the CE to be -1.40 dB, while the experimentally measured CE was -2.20 dB with a 3-dB bandwidth of 81 nm from 1592 nm to 1673 nm. The high CE GC is achieved without using bottom metal reflectors or requiring the etching of the lithium niobate material.

2D-materials-integrated optoelectromechanics: recent progress and future perspectives.

The discovery of two-dimensional (2D) materials has gained worldwide attention owing to their extraordinary optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. Due to their atomic layer thicknesses, the emerging 2D materials have great advantages of enhanced interaction strength, broad operating bandwidth, and ultralow power consumption for optoelectromechanical coupling. The van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy or multidimensional integration of 2D material family provides a promising platform for on-chip advanced nano-optoelectromechanical systems (NOEMS). Here, we provide a comprehensive review on the nanomechanical properties of 2D materials and the recent advances of 2D-materials-integrated nano-electromechanical systems and nano-optomechanical systems. By utilizing active nanophotonics and optoelectronics as the interface, 2D active NOEMS and their coupling effects are particularly highlighted at the 2D atomic scale. Finally, we share our viewpoints on the future perspectives and key challenges of scalable 2D-materials-integrated active NOEMS for on-chip miniaturized, lightweight, and multifunctional integration applications.

Harnessing Dynamical Encircling of an Exceptional Point in Anti-PT-Symmetric Integrated Photonic Systems.

Dynamically encircling an exceptional point in a non-Hermitian system can lead to chiral behaviors, but this process is difficult for on-chip PT-symmetric devices which require accurate control of gain and loss rates. Here, we experimentally demonstrated encircling an exceptional point with a fixed loss rate in a compact anti-PT-symmetric integrated photonic system, where chiral mode switching was achieved within a length that is an order of magnitude shorter than that of a PT-symmetric system. Based on the experimental demonstration, we proposed a topologically protected mode (de)multiplexer that is robust against fabrication errors with a wide operating wavelength range. With the advantages of simplified fabrication and characterization processes, the demonstrated system can be used for studying higher-order exceptional points and for exotic light manipulation.

Parity-time-symmetric mechanical systems by the cavity optomechanical effect.

Parity-time (PT) symmetry, an interesting concept originally introduced in quantum mechanics, has been extended to many other branches of physics. Besides its demonstrations in optics and electronics, the study of PT-symmetric mechanics is growing rapidly. To date, most PT-symmetric mechanical systems have relatively large size and low operating frequency, which limits their applications in high-speed sensing and signal processing. Here, we propose a PT-symmetric mechanical system with gain/loss provided by the cavity optomechanical effect, which can overcome those limitations. We theoretically analyze and numerically simulate the optical control of PT-symmetric optomechanical systems that consist of two or more mechanical resonators. We find the property of unidirectional reflection in these systems, which may pave the way for the study of topological acoustics and phononic signal processing.