計畫名稱：以環型共振腔為基礎之光孤子波導元件製作及其光輸出特性研究
執行起迄：2011/08/01~2012/07/31
總核定金額：625,000元
中文摘要：一般非線性晶體材料因為克爾效應(Kerr effect)所造成材料的折射係數(index of refraction)改變，而產生光束自聚焦的現象，這種自聚焦效應與材料本身繞射(diffraction) 效應相抵消的結果而造成固定波輻的光束行進稱為空間光孤子(Spatial Solitons)，克爾效應通常需要在強光場(~ MW/cm2)作用之下才會產生明顯的光自聚焦作用，然而對一些光折變材料或半導體量子井材料，因為光輻射產生之移動電子-電洞載子密度的重新分佈所產生之屏敝電場(screaming field)，也會造成介質局部折射係數的改變，而產生空間光孤子的條件，這種因空間電場自聚效應所需的光場強度並不高(大約幾100 mW/cm2)，所以實用性較高，本計畫研究目標是在一半導體環型共振腔元件中利用環形共振腔輻射激發來實現空間光孤子的產生，計畫中完成單環型共振腔元件光孤子的結構並探討環型共振腔光強度對光孤子產生條件的影響，主要研究重點是，分析波導輸出端的光場分佈特性與空間光孤子的光場分佈之差異，另外，也將進行幾種不同的光輸出偶合結構對光孤子產生的效果，進而能夠增加對光孤子光電特性的掌握，本計畫所完成的結果可以對國內光孤子有關的研究提供一些實驗數據的參考，並提供碩士班研究生在光孤子實驗的學習環境，加強國內在光孤子研究領域的能力。
英文摘要：Self-focusing of light due to optically induced index gradient arising in Kerr media1 has been attracted decades of investigation for generating spatial solitons. A spatial soliton, in which a beam of light propagates without changing its transverse profile, occurs when self-focusing that is due to optical non-linearity compensates normal diffraction in the medium. Normally, solitons generated by Kerr effect required optical power as high as few MW. Recently, it was found that photorefractive spatial solitons can be excited at a reasonable optical power within 100 micro-watts that makes solitons a realistic application for devices operation and increases its research interest in photonics integration. Several systems exhibited photorefractive self-trapping effects had been predicted and observed, for examples: quasi-steady-state, photovoltaic solitons, screening changes solitons, and induced self-trapping in photorefractive medium by the interaction of spatially incoherent beams. In this project, a circular ring resonator with a Y-output coupler had been fabricated to explore the mechanism and the interaction of solitons with the semiconductor circular ring resonator. In addition, an optical-optical switch based on this solitons waveguide generation had demonstrated. The results of this project can provide an essential references to the development of all optical control of the photonic devices and providing graduated students for educating in research area of solitons ant its applications.