RF Photonics Lab is dedicated to the characterization of light-wave circuits. Two distinct setups allows for a broad range of linear and non-linear characterization and analysis. The light sources, detectors, signal transport and conditioning are based mainly on fiber optics, operating in the third telecom window. Light is injected and collected employing either butt-coupling or grating-based vertical-coupling techniques. Examples of the samples characterized are Whispery Gallery Mode (WGM) resonators coupled vertically to bus waveguides, Coupled-Resonator Optical Waveguides (CROWs) and Side-Coupled Integrated Spaced Sequence of Optical Resonators (SCISSORs). The measurements performed in the lab ranges from simple transmittance experiments to pump and probe time-resolved non-linear characterization. Examples of effects characterized are: four wave mixing (FWM) in waveguides, optomechanical response of vertically resonators coupled to bus waveguides, optical bistabilities and cahotic dynamics of resonator sequences.
The equipment of the lab is the following:
Light Sources: Tunable SC band laser (1475-1575nm), Tunable CL band laser (1510-1610nm), Tunable OL band laser (1260-1650nm), ASE C band source (1530-1565nm), Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) 5W (1535-1565nm), several pig-tailed diode lasers, Booster Optical Amplifier C Band (1530-1560nm) 28dB signal gain.
Detectors: 2x Near-IR Optical Spectrum Analyzers (OSA), 1x InGaAs ultra-fast detector 40GHz, 4x InGaAs IR detector 1GHz, 2x InGaAs IR detector 200MHz, 2x Ge IR detectors, InGaAs IR Camera, Visible Camera, Thermal Camera.
Fiber based devices: 2x Motorized tunable filters 250mW C Band (1530-1564nm), 10GHz Lithium Niobate Modulator, EO Phase Modulator (1250-1650nm), 4x IR Variable Optical Attenuators (VOA), 3x Optical Isolators C band, 2x IR polarization controllers, several WDMs and Fiber optic couplers.
General Optical/Optomechanical Components: 2x Optical Tables, 4x Three Axis positioners with piezo-electric controllers and several optomechanical devices.
Electronics: Several oscilloscopes, function generators and power sources. All the devices are controlled and monitored with a computer.
Misc: Fiber splicer machine.