We present an angled multimode interferometer (AMMI) wavelength division (de)multiplexer on a 220 nm silicon-on-insulator platform, which is designed and operated for C-band wavelengths. The length of the AMMI is 855 µm, and can provide a channel spacing of 15 nm and a crosstalk suppression of 7 dB. Through inverse design, the length of the AMMI is reduced to 300 µm with a channel spacing at 8 nm; also to be operated at C band wavelengths. In addition, using shape optimization on a 2x2 multimode interferometer, the length of the device is reduced from 158 µm to 40 µm with improved performance in terms of transmission variation across the C-band.
Silicon Nitride photonic integrated circuits are highly sought after for quantum applications. This platform offers ultra-low propagation losses, reduced birefringence, and a wide transparency window. This study presents the design and experimental demonstration of a compact silicon nitride polarization beam splitter (PBS) for the 950 nm wavelength range. The PBS employs cascaded tapered asymmetric directional couplers to achieve efficient polarization control. With insertion losses below 1 dB, polarization extinction ratios exceeding 19 dB (TE) and 10 dB (TM), and operation from 920 nm to 970 nm, it offers promising integration into photonic systems requiring precise polarization manipulation.
Photonic power converters (PPCs) are photovoltaic cells that convert monochromatic light into electric power. The impact of luminescent coupling (LC) on InGaAs-based PPCs is studied. Multi-junction PPCs are simulated using an experimentally validated drift-diffusion model, and the contribution of LC is quantified. Up to 85% of the photons emitted across the InGaAs layers are re-absorbed in the dual-junction device considered. This number increases to 96% when a back reflector is included due to improved light management. Interference effects produced by multiple reflections are examined as a function of the emission angle.
We have developed a machine learning empowered computational framework to facilitate design space exploration for optoelectronic devices. In this work, we apply dimensionality reduction and clustering machine learning algorithms to identify optimal ten-junction C-band photonic power converter (PPC) designs. We outline our framework, design optimization procedure, calibrated optoelectronic model, and experimental calibration devices. We report on top performing device designs for on-substrate and flat back-reflector architectures. We comment on the design sensitivity for these PPCs and on the applicability of dimensionality reduction and clustering algorithms to assist in optoelectronic device design.
Since the turn of the century, Silicon Photonics (SiPh) has advanced data communication and computing via diverse integrated optical functions and multiplexing strategies. However, conventional design methodologies limit scalability, and inverse designs lead to features sensitive to fabrication process variations. This talk explores the harnessing of machine learning (ML) to predict and rectify these deviations in the design phase. This technique enhances design fidelity and device performance, while facilitating smaller design features, bypassing constraints of traditional methods. Highlighting PreFab, an innovative ML technology, applicable to both conventional and inverse designs, it predicts and corrects fabrication deviations, enabling refined design processes.
Recent developments in computational inverse design offer the promise of significantly reducing the footprint and allowing complex optical functionality in silicon photonic components as compared to existing conventional building blocks. However, reliable fabrication of such components is one of the major bottlenecks in its widespread adoption. A common characteristic of such designs is the presence of small features that have meaningful impact on the optical performance. Current approaches to tackle this problem consider designing for robustness, such as by co-optimizing for over- and under-etched geometries at the design stage. This is often followed with a design-for-manufacturing optimization step to meet specifications of a foundry such as minimum feature size and curvature radii. Those approaches often incur additional significant computational costs as well as a reduction in peak optical performance. In this work, we highlight our recent progress to bridge the gap between inverse design methods and their ability to deliver reliable and manufacturable designs. We observe that the so-called parameterized shape optimization methods are more likely to produce robust designs for certain classes of components, as showcased in integrated mode converter designs. For components that benefit from topological inverse design such as wavelength demultiplexers, we propose a new optimization penalty that naturally leads the optimizer towards more robust designs. In a new research direction, we also consider improving fabrication reliability by the development and use of data-driven predictive models for fabrication. Leveraging deep learning tools, we present prediction and correction models that improve fabrication outcomes for a variety of components made at an e-beam prototyping foundry.
Subwavelength metamaterials allow to synthesize tailored optical properties which enabled the demonstration of photonic devices with unprecedented performance and scale of integration. Yet, the development of metamaterial-based devices often involves a large number of interrelated parameters and figures of merit whose manual design can be impractical or lead to suboptimal solutions. In this invited talk, we will discuss the potentiality offered by multi-objective optimization and machine learning for the design of high-performance photonic devices based on metamaterials. We will present both integrated devices for on-chip photonic systems as well as recent advances in the development of devices for free-space applications and optical beam control.
The widespread use of metamaterials and non-trivial geometries has radically changed the way photonic integrated devices are developed, opening new design possibility and allowing for unprecedented performance. Yet, these devices are often described by a large number of interrelated parameters which cannot be handled manually, requiring innovative design approaches for their effective optimization. In this invited talk, we will discuss the potentiality offered by the combination of machine learning dimensionality reduction and multi-objective optimization for the design of high performance photonic integrated devices.
Design of novel integrated photonic components often benefits from periodic geometries (either fully periodic or apodized) along the direction of light propagation, offering a wide range of capabilities including mode matching and optical rerouting. Here, we show how existing iterative methods that were originally developed for resonant nanophotonic systems in the frequency domain can be reliably used for calculation of optical Bloch modes in periodic systems in the complex wavevector domain. This method can be used for arbitrary shaped geometries and even when open boundary conditions are applied, therefore heavily impacting the fast-paced design of integrated photonic devices.
Design of modern integrated nanophotonic components requires increasingly sophisticated optical simulation and optimization tools. Modeling and computational challenges arise with the increase in the number of design parameters and the introduction of multiple and often competing performance criteria. In such high dimensional design parameter spaces, it becomes difficult to navigate, explore, and visualize the best candidate designs that satisfy all the requirements. We present our recently developed approach that leverages dimensionality reduction - an area of machine learning – to identify and efficiently investigate only the most relevant portion of the design space. Once this reduced space is found, mapping and optimization can often be achieved several orders of magnitude faster than in the original design space. We showcase our approach on several design scenarios focusing on components such as optical grating couplers and power splitters. We employ principal component analysis for linear dimensionality reduction, achieving impressive performance despite its simplicity. We also demonstrate the use of a non-linear technique, i.e. neural-network based autoencoders, which can improve the effectiveness of dimensionality reduction even further. All components have nontrivial regions of interest in their design space that are identified and explored through the evaluation of various performance metrics. Visualizations of these regions offer a global picture of device behavior. Different component geometries can then be chosen depending on specific performance requirements or fabrication constraints. The proposed framework can be easily integrated into various design toolkits.
Modern design of photonic devices is quickly and steadily departing from classical geometries to focus more and more on non-trivial structures and metamaterials. These devices are governed by a multitude of parameters and the optimal design requires to simultaneously consider different figure of merits. In this invited talk we will present our recent work on the application of machine learning tools to the multi-objective optimization of multi-parameter photonic devices. In particular, we will demonstrate the potentiality of dimensionality reduction for the analysis of the complex design space of subwavelength metamaterials devices.
We present fully apodized and perfectly vertical surface grating couplers in 300 nm silicon waveguides. We achieve ultrahigh coupling efficiency of -0.35 dB at 1550 nm for an optical fiber with 10.4 µm mode-fiber-diameter. To this end, we followed a two stage process in which, we first optimized a pool of periodic grating couplers using machine learning techniques, and then apodized them over 100 parameters using the gradient based adjoint- method. Using a simple fabrication tolerance analysis, we also show that segment variations mostly causes a wavelength shift for the maximum coupling efficiency of the apodized grating couplers, similar to those typically observed for periodic grating couplers.
Enabled by technological improvements, photonic devices and circuits are becoming increasingly more complex. Non-trivial geometries are designed to reduce device footprint, improve performance, and introduce novel functionalities. However, the number of design variables required to properly represent these geometries quickly grows, limiting the effectiveness of classical design approaches. Moreover, parameters are often strongly interdependent, restricting the use of sequential optimizations or independent parameter sweeps. Although several optimization techniques can be effective for multi-parameter design, they commonly allow to optimize for a single or a handful designs and the optimization process needs to be repeated if new performance criteria are introduced. In contrast to classical design approaches, the in uences of the design parameters remain hidden as well as the general behavior of the design space. In this paper we present an extension of our recent work on the application of machine learning pattern recognition to the design of multi-parameter photonic devices. In particular, we propose using a combination of local optimization based on the adjoint method and the use of dimensionality reduction. Adjoint optimization is used multiple times to generate a small set of different designs with high performance. Dimensionality reduction is applied to analyze the relationship between these degenerate designs and identify a lower-dimensional design sub-space that includes all alternative good designs. This sub-space can be mapped for any performance criteria thus enabling informed decisions based on the relative priorities of all relevant performance specifications. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate a ten-parameter design of an integrated photonic power splitter using silicon-on-insulator technology. We identify a region of possible high performance design solutions and select two design candidates either maximizing the splitter efficiency or minimizing back-reflection.
Miniaturized silicon photonics spectrometers have great potential for mass market applications like medicine and hazard detection. However, the performance of state-of-the-art silicon spectrometers is limited by fabrication imperfections and temperature variations.
In this work, we present a fundamentally new strategy that combines machine learning algorithms and on-chip spatial heterodyne Fourier-transform spectroscopy to identify specific absorption features operated under a wide range of temperatures in the presence of fabrication imperfections. We experimentally show differentiation of four different input spectra with unknown temperature variations as large as 10 °C. This is about 100x increase in operational range, compared to state-of-the-art retrieval techniques.
The performance and functionality of integrated photonic devices can be enhanced by using complex structures controlled by a large number of design variables. However, the optimization of such high-dimensional structures is challenging, often limiting their realization. Global optimization algorithms and artificial neural networks are increasingly used to tackle these problems. Although these are exciting new developments, the outcome is a single optimized design meeting particular performance objectives selected upfront. The influences of the various design parameters remain hidden. Here we report on our strategy of using machine learning pattern recognition techniques to create a methodology for building the global performance map of a high-dimensional design space. As an example and demonstration, we study the design of a vertical grating coupler consisting of silicon and subwavelength metamaterial segments. We show how the relationship between designs with comparable primary performance can be clearly revealed by identifying the minimum number of characterizing parameters that defines the subspace of good designs, significantly scaling down the complexity of the problem. Moreover, the subspace can be identified using only a small number of good design solutions. We reveal design areas with comparable fiber coupling efficiency but with significant differences in other performance criteria, such as back-reflections, tolerance to fabrication uncertainty and minimum feature size. This novel approach provides the designer with a global perspective of the design space, enabling informed decisions based on the relative priorities of all relevant performance specifications and figures-of-merits for a particular application. Insights from the mapping exercise also inspired new design structures with enhanced characteristics.
Integrated nanophotonic component design processes are often constrained by computational resources. Advances in simulation and optimization tools have allowed more efficient exploration of larger design spaces. These developments reduce the time-consuming and intuition-limited effort of encoding physical insights into the design structure. However, we argue that efficient optimization is only part of the solution to tackle larger multi-parameter design spaces. Finding patterns in such a space can be more valuable than identifying the individual optima alone. This is particularly true when transitioning from simulation to real device fabrication, where considerations such as tolerance to fabrication imperfections, bandwidth, etc. take an important role but are ignored at the optimization stage. The elucidation of patterns in a complex design space enables efficient identification of designs addressing these additional considerations. As an example, in this presentation we demonstrate how limited data collected from the optimization process of a multisegment vertical grating coupler can be used to identify such patterns through the application of machine learning techniques. The identified patterns, some more interpretable than others, can be used in multiple ways: from speeding up the remaining optimization process itself to gaining insight into the properties of an interesting subset of designs. Together those insights offer a significantly clearer picture of the design space and form the basis for making much more informed decisions on the final designs to be fabricated.
Machine-assisted design of integrated photonic devices (e.g. through optimization and inverse design methods) is opening the possibility of exploring very large design spaces, novel functionalities and non-intuitive geometries. These methods are generally used to optimize performance figures-of-merit. On the other hand, the effect of manufacturing variability remains a fundamental challenge since small fabrication errors can have a significant impact on light propagation, especially in high-index-contrast platforms. Brute-force analysis of these variabilities during the main optimization process can become prohibitive, since a large number of simulations would be required. To this purpose, efficient stochastic techniques integrated in the design cycle allow to quickly assess the performance robustness and the expected fabrication yield of each tentative device generated by the optimization. In this invited talk we present an overview of the recent advances in the implementation of stochastic techniques in photonics, focusing in particular on stochastic spectral methods that have been regarded as a promising alternative to the classical Monte Carlo method. Polynomial chaos expansion techniques generate so called surrogate models by means of an orthogonal set of polynomials to efficiently represent the dependence of a function to statistical variabilities. They achieve a considerable reduction of the simulation time compared to Monte Carlo, at least for mid-scale problems, making feasible the incorporation of tolerance analysis and yield optimization within the photonic design flow.
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