Wafer-Scale High-Quality Microtubular Devices Fabricated via Dry-Etching for Optical and Microelectronic Applications

Mechanical strain formed at the interfaces of thin films has been widely applied to self-assemble 3D microarchitectures. Among them, rolled-up microtubes possess a unique 3D geometry beneficial for working as photonic, electromagnetic, energy storage, and sensing devices. However, the yield and quality of microtubular architectures are often limited by the wet-release of lithographically patterned stacks of thin-film structures. To address the drawbacks of conventionally used wet-etching methods in self-assembly techniques, here a dry-release approach is developed to roll-up both metallic and dielectric, as well as metallic/dielectric hybrid thin films for the fabrication of electronic and optical devices. A silicon thin film sacrificial layer on insulator is etched by dry fluorine chemistry, triggering self-assembly of prestrained nanomembranes in a well-controlled wafer scale fashion. More than 6000 integrated microcapacitors as well as hundreds of active microtubular optical cavities are obtained in a simultaneous self-assembly process. The fabrication of wafer-scale self-assembled microdevices results in high yield, reproducibility, uniformity, and performance, which promise broad applications in microelectronics, photonics, and opto-electronics.     

Recent Advances of Spatial Self‐Phase Modulation in 2D Materials and Passive Photonic Device Applications

Optical nonlinearity in 2D materials excited by spatial Gaussian laser beam is a novel and peculiar optical phenomenon, which exhibits many novel and interesting applications in optical nonlinear devices. Passive photonic devices, such as optical switches, optical logical gates, photonic diodes, and optical modulators, are the key compositions in the future all‐optical signal‐processing technologies. Passive photonic devices using 2D materials to achieve the device functionality have attracted widespread concern in the past decade. In this Review, an overview of the spatial self‐phase modulation (SSPM) in 2D materials is summarized, including the operating mechanism, optical parameter measurement, and tuning for 2D materials, and applications in photonic devices. Moreover, some current challenges are also proposed to solve, and some possible applications of SSPM method are predicted for the future. Therefore, it is anticipated that this summary can contribute to the application of 2D material‐based spatial effect in all‐optical signal‐processing technologies.     

Plasmonic/metallic passive waveguides and waveguide components for photonic dense integrated circuits: a feasibility study based on microwave engineering

To investigate the potential for dense integration of photonic components, we analyse passive plasmonic/ metallic waveguides and waveguide components at optical frequencies by using mostly microwave engineering approaches. Four figures of performance are formulated that are utilised to compare the characteristics of four different slab waveguides with zero frequency cut-off modes. Three of these are metallic based whereas the fourth one, which also serves as a reference, is dielectric based with high index-contrast. It is found that all figures of performance cannot be optimised independently; in particular there is a trade-off between the waveguide Q-value and the transversal field confinement. Microwave methods are used to design several photonic transmission line components. The small Q-value of the metallic waveguides is the main disadvantage when using materials and telecom frequencies of today. Hence plasmonic waveguides do not offer full functionality for some important integrated components, being severe for frequency-selective applications. To achieve a dense integration, it is concluded that new materials are needed that offer Q-values several orders of magnitude higher than metals.     

Recent Advances in Organic One‐Dimensional Composite Materials: Design,Construction, and Photonic Elements for Information Processing

Many recent activities in the use of one‐dimensional nanostructures as photonic elements for optical information processing are explained by huge advantages that photonic circuits possess over traditional silicon‐based electronic ones in bandwidth, heat dissipation, and resistance to electromagnetic wave interference. Organic materials are a promising candidate to support these optical‐related applications, as they combine the properties of plastics with broad spectral tunability, high optical cross‐section, easy fabrication, as well as low cost. Their outstanding compatibility allows organic composite structures which are made of two or more kinds of materials combined together, showing great superiority to single‐component materials due to the introduced interactions among multiple constituents, such as energy transfer, electron transfer, exciton coupling, etc. The easy processability of organic 1D crystalline heterostructures enables a fine topological control of both composition and geometry, which offsets the intrinsic deficiencies of individual material. At the same time, the strong exciton‐photon coupling and exciton‐exciton interaction impart the excellent confinement of photons in organic microstructures, thus light can be manipulated according to our intention to realize specific functions. These collective properties indicate a potential utility of organic heterogeneous material for miniaturized photonic circuitry. Herein, focus is given on recent advances of 1D organic crystalline heterostructures, with special emphasis on the novel design, controllable construction, diverse performance, as well as wide applications in isolated photonic elements for integration. It is proposed that the highly coupled, hybrid optical networks would be an important material basis towards the creation of on‐chip optical information processing.     

Application of phase-change materials in memory taxonomy

Abstract

Phase-change materials are suitable for data storage because they exhibit reversible transitions between crystalline and amorphous states that have distinguishable electrical and optical properties. Consequently, these materials find applications in diverse memory devices ranging from conventional optical discs to emerging nanophotonic devices. Current research efforts are mostly devoted to phase-change random access memory, whereas the applications of phase-change materials in other types of memory devices are rarely reported. Here we review the physical principles of phase-change materials and devices aiming to help researchers understand the concept of phase-change memory. We classify phase-change memory devices into phase-change optical disc, phase-change scanning probe memory, phase-change random access memory, and phase-change nanophotonic device, according to their locations in memory hierarchy. For each device type we discuss the physical principles in conjunction with merits and weakness for data storage applications. We also outline state-of-the-art technologies and future prospects.     

Progress and Opportunities in Soft Photonics and Biologically Inspired Optics

Optical components made fully or partially from reconfigurable, stimuli‐responsive, soft solids or fluids—collectively referred to as soft photonics—are poised to form the platform for tunable optical devices with unprecedented functionality and performance characteristics. Currently, however, soft solid and fluid material systems still represent an underutilized class of materials in the optical engineers' toolbox. This is in part due to challenges in fabrication, integration, and structural control on the nano‐ and microscale associated with the application of soft components in optics. These challenges might be addressed with the help of a resourceful ally: nature. Organisms from many different phyla have evolved an impressive arsenal of light manipulation strategies that rely on the ability to generate and dynamically reconfigure hierarchically structured, complex optical material designs, often involving soft or fluid components. A comprehensive understanding of design concepts, structure formation principles, material integration, and control mechanisms employed in biological photonic systems will allow this study to challenge current paradigms in optical technology. This review provides an overview of recent developments in the fields of soft photonics and biologically inspired optics, emphasizes the ties between the two fields, and outlines future opportunities that result from advancements in soft and bioinspired photonics.     

Hierarchical nanoparticle bragg mirrors: tandem and gradient architectures

To manipulate electrons in semiconductor electronic and optical devices, the usual approach is through materials composition, electronic bandgap, doping, and interface engineering. More advanced strategies for handling electrons in semiconductor devices include composition-controlled heterostructures and gradient structures. By analogy to the manipulation of electrons in semiconductor crystals by electronic bandgaps, photons in photonic crystals can be managed using photonic bandgaps. In this context, the simplest photonic crystal is the Bragg mirror, a periodic dielectric construct whose photonic bandgap is engineered through variations of the optical thickness of its constituent layers. Traditionally the materials comprising these periodic dielectric layers are nonporous, and they have mainly been used in the field of optical and photonic devices. More recently these Bragg mirrors have been made porous by building the layers from nanoparticles with functionality and utility that exploit their internal voids. These structures are emerging in the area of photonic color-coded chemical sensing and controlled chemical release. Herein, a strategy for enhancing the functionality and potential utility of nanoparticle Bragg mirrors by making the constituent dielectric layers aperiodic and porous is described. It is exemplified by prototypical tandem and gradient structures that are fully characterized with regards to their structure, porosity, and optical and photonic properties.     

Highly Efficient Ionic Photocurrent Generation through WS2‐Based 2D Nanofluidic Channels

The unique feature of nacre‐like 2D layered materials provides a facile, yet highly efficient way to modulate the transmembrane ion transport from two orthogonal transport directions, either vertical or horizontal. Recently, light‐driven active transport of ionic species in synthetic nanofluidic systems attracts broad research interest. Herein, taking advantage of the photoelectric semiconducting properties of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, the generation of a directional and greatly enhanced cationic flow through WS₂‐based 2D nanofluidic membranes upon asymmetric visible light illumination is reported. Compared with graphene‐based materials, the magnitude of the ionic photocurrent can be enhanced by tens of times, and its photo‐responsiveness can be 2–3.5 times faster. This enhancement is explained by the coexistence of semiconducting and metallic WS₂ nanosheets in the hybrid membrane that facilitates the asymmetric diffusion of photoexcited charge carriers on the channel wall, and the high ionic conductance due to the neat membrane structure. To further demonstrate its application, photonic ion switches, photonic ion diodes, and photonic ion transistors as the fundamental elements for light‐controlled nanofluidic circuits are further developed. Exploring new possibilities in the family of liquid processable colloidal 2D materials provides a way toward high‐performance light‐harvesting nanofluidic systems for artificial photosynthesis and sunlight‐driven desalination.     

Optical forces in hybrid plasmonic waveguides

We demonstrate that in a hybrid plasmonic system the optical force exerted on a dielectric waveguide by a metallic substrate is enhanced by more than 1 order of magnitude compared to the force between a photonic waveguide and a dielectric substrate. A nanoscale gap between the dielectric waveguide and the metallic substrate leads to deep subwavelength optical energy confinement with ultralow mode propagation loss and hence results in the enhanced optical forces at low input optical power, as numerically demonstrated by both Maxwell's stress tensor formalism and the coupled mode theory analysis. Moreover, the hybridization between the surface plasmon modes and waveguide modes allows efficient optical trapping of single dielectric nanoparticle with size of only several nanometers in the gap region, manifesting various optomechanical applications such as nanoscale optical tweezers.     

Programmable Bidirectional Folding of Metallic Thin Films for 3D Chiral Optical Antennas

3D structures with characteristic lengths ranging from nanometer to micrometer scale often exhibit extraordinary optical properties, and have been becoming an extensively explored field for building new generation nanophotonic devices. Albeit a few methods have been developed for fabricating 3D optical structures, constructing 3D structures with nanometer accuracy, diversified materials, and perfect morphology is an extremely challenging task. This study presents a general 3D nanofabrication technique, the focused ion beam stress induced deformation process, which allows a programmable and accurate bidirectional folding (?70°–+90°) of various metal and dielectric thin films. Using this method, 3D helical optical antennas with different handedness, improved surface smoothness, and tunable geometries are fabricated, and the strong optical rotation effects of single helical antennas are demonstrated.     

Impact of Lanthanide Nanomaterials on Photonic Devices and Smart Applications

Half a century after its initial emergence, lanthanide photonics is facing a profound remodeling induced by the upsurge of nanomaterials. Lanthanide‐doped nanomaterials hold promise for bioapplications and photonic devices because they ally the unmatched advantages of lanthanide photophysical properties with those arising from large surface‐to‐volume ratios and quantum confinement that are typical of nanoobjects. Cutting‐edge technologies and devices have recently arisen from this association and are in turn promoting nanophotonic materials as essential tools for a deeper understanding of biological mechanisms and related medical diagnosis and therapy, and as crucial building blocks for next‐generation photonic devices. Here, the recent progress in the development of nanomaterials, nanotechnologies, and nanodevices for clinical uses and commercial exploitation is reviewed. The candidate nanomaterials with mature synthesis protocols and compelling optical uniqueness are surveyed. The specific fields that are directly driven by lanthanide doped nanomaterials are emphasized, spanning from in vivo imaging and theranostics, micro‐/nanoscopic techniques, point‐of‐care medical testing, forensic fingerprints detection, to micro‐LED devices.     

Device‐Level Photonic Memories and Logic Applications Using Phase‐Change Materials

Inspired by the great success of fiber optics in ultrafast data transmission, photonic computing is being extensively studied as an alternative to replace or hybridize electronic computers, which are reaching speed and bandwidth limitations. Mimicking and implementing basic computing elements on photonic devices is a first and essential step toward all‐optical computers. Here, an optical pulse‐width modulation (PWM) switching of phase‐change materials on an integrated waveguide is developed, which allows practical implementation of photonic memories and logic devices. It is established that PWM with low peak power is very effective for recrystallization of phase‐change materials, in terms of both energy efficiency and process control. Using this understanding, multilevel photonic memories with complete random accessibility are then implemented. Finally, programmable optical logic devices are demonstrated conceptually and experimentally, with logic “OR” and “NAND” achieved on just a single integrated photonic phase‐change cell. This study provides a practical and elegant technique to optically program photonic phase‐change devices for computing applications.     

Strain Engineering of 2D Materials: Issues and Opportunities at the Interface

Triggered by the growing needs of developing semiconductor devices at ever‐decreasing scales, strain engineering of 2D materials has recently seen a surge of interest. The goal of this principle is to exploit mechanical strain to tune the electronic and photonic performance of 2D materials and to ultimately achieve high‐performance 2D‐material‐based devices. Although strain engineering has been well studied for traditional semiconductor materials and is now routinely used in their manufacturing, recent experiments on strain engineering of 2D materials have shown new opportunities for fundamental physics and exciting applications, along with new challenges, due to the atomic nature of 2D materials. Here, recent advances in the application of mechanical strain into 2D materials are reviewed. These developments are categorized by the deformation modes of the 2D material–substrate system: in‐plane mode and out‐of‐plane mode. Recent state‐of‐the‐art characterization of the interface mechanics for these 2D material–substrate systems is also summarized. These advances highlight how the strain or strain‐coupled applications of 2D materials rely on the interfacial properties, essentially shear and adhesion, and finally offer direct guidelines for deterministic design of mechanical strains into 2D materials for ultrathin semiconductor applications.     

Dirac cones induced by accidental degeneracy in photonic crystals and zero-refractive-index materials

A zero-refractive-index metamaterial is one in which waves do not experience any spatial phase change, and such a peculiar material has many interesting wave-manipulating properties. These materials can in principle be realized using man-made composites comprising metallic resonators or chiral inclusions, but metallic components have losses that compromise functionality at high frequencies. It would be highly desirable if we could achieve a zero refractive index using dielectrics alone. Here, we show that by employing accidental degeneracy, dielectric photonic crystals can be designed and fabricated that exhibit Dirac cone dispersion at the centre of the Brillouin zone at a finite frequency. In addition to many interesting properties intrinsic to a Dirac cone dispersion, we can use effective medium theory to relate the photonic crystal to a material with effectively zero permittivity and permeability. We then numerically and experimentally demonstrate in the microwave regime that such dielectric photonic crystals with reasonable dielectric constants manipulate waves as if they had near-zero refractive indices at and near the Dirac point frequency.     

Alternative Plasmonic Materials: Beyond Gold and Silver

Materials research plays a vital role in transforming breakthrough scientific ideas into next‐generation technology. Similar to the way silicon revolutionized the microelectronics industry, the proper materials can greatly impact the field of plasmonics and metamaterials. Currently, research in plasmonics and metamaterials lacks good material building blocks in order to realize useful devices. Such devices suffer from many drawbacks arising from the undesirable properties of their material building blocks, especially metals. There are many materials, other than conventional metallic components such as gold and silver, that exhibit metallic properties and provide advantages in device performance, design flexibility, fabrication, integration, and tunability. This review explores different material classes for plasmonic and metamaterial applications, such as conventional semiconductors, transparent conducting oxides, perovskite oxides, metal nitrides, silicides, germanides, and 2D materials such as graphene. This review provides a summary of the recent developments in the search for better plasmonic materials and an outlook of further research directions.     

Metal–organic frameworks for electronics: emerging second order nonlinear optical and dielectric materials

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively studied over the past decade because they represent a new category of hybrid inorganic–organic materials with extensive surface areas, ultrahigh porosity, along with the extraordinary tailorability of structure, shape and dimensions. In this highlight, we summarize the current state of MOF research and report on structure–property relationships for nonlinear optical (NLO) and dielectric applications. We focus on the design principles and structural elements needed to develop potential NLO and low dielectric (low-κ) MOFs with an emphasis on enhancing material performance. In addition, we highlight experimental evidence for the design of devices for low-dielectric applications. These results motivate us to develop better low-dielectric and NLO materials and to perform in-depth studies related to deposition techniques, patterning and the mechanical performance of these materials in the future.     

Metal–organic frameworks for electronics: emerging second order nonlinear optical and dielectric materials

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively studied over the past decade because they represent a new category of hybrid inorganic–organic materials with extensive surface areas, ultrahigh porosity, along with the extraordinary tailorability of structure, shape and dimensions. In this highlight, we summarize the current state of MOF research and report on structure–property relationships for nonlinear optical (NLO) and dielectric applications. We focus on the design principles and structural elements needed to develop potential NLO and low dielectric (low-κ) MOFs with an emphasis on enhancing material performance. In addition, we highlight experimental evidence for the design of devices for low-dielectric applications. These results motivate us to develop better low-dielectric and NLO materials and to perform in-depth studies related to deposition techniques, patterning and the mechanical performance of these materials in the future.     

A Novel Hierarchical Nanostructure for Enhanced Optical Nonlinearity Based on Scattering Mechanism

Surface modification of nonlinear optical materials (NOMs) is widely applied to fabricate diverse photonic devices, such as frequency combs, modulators, and all‐optical switches. In this work, a double‐layer nanostructure with heterogeneous nanoparticles (NPs) is proposed to achieve enhanced third‐order optical nonlinearity of NOMs. The mechanism of modified optical nonlinearity is elucidated to be the scattering‐induced energy transfer between adjacent NPs layers. Based on the LiNbO₃ platform, as a typical example, double layers of embedded Cu and Ag NPs are synthesized by sequential ion implantation, demonstrating twofold magnitude of near‐infrared enhancement factor and modulation depth in comparison with a single layer of Cu NPs. With the elastic collision model and thermolysis theory being considered, the shift of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak reveals the formation mechanism of the double‐layer nanostructure. Utilizing the enhanced optical nonlinearity of LiNbO₃ as modulators, a Q‐switched mode‐locked waveguide laser at 1 µm is achieved with shorter pulse duration. It suggests potential applications to improve the performance of nonlinear photonic devices by using double‐layer metallic nanostructures.     

Wavelength-converted/selective waveguiding based on composition-graded semiconductor nanowires

Compact wavelength-sensitive optical components are desirable for optical information processing and communication in photonic integrated system. In this work, optical waveguiding along single composition-graded CdS(x)Se(1-x) nanowires were systematically investigated. Under a focused laser excitation, the excited light can be guided passively along the bandgap-increased direction of the nanowire, keeping the photonic energy of the guided light almost unchanged during the whole propagation. In comparison, the excited light is guided actively through incessantly repeated band-to-band reabsorption and re-emitting processes along the bandgap-decreased direction, resulting in a gradual wavelength conversion during propagation. On the basis of this wavelength-converted waveguiding, a concept of nanoscale wavelength splitter is demonstrated by assembling a graded nanowire with several composition-uniform nanowires into branched nanowire structure. Our study indicates that composition-graded semiconductor nanowires would open new exciting opportunities in developing new wavelength-sensitive optical components for integrated nanophotonic devices.     

3D Self-Assembled Microelectronic Devices: Concepts,Materials, Applications

Modern microelectronic systems and their components are essentially 3D devices that have become smaller and lighter in order to improve performance and reduce costs. To maintain this trend, novel materials and technologies are required that provide more structural freedom in 3D over conventional microelectronics, as well as easier parallel fabrication routes while maintaining compatability with existing manufacturing methods. Self-assembly of initially planar membranes into complex 3D architectures offers a wealth of opportunities to accommodate thin-film microelectronic functionalities in devices and systems possessing improved performance and higher integration density. Existing work in this field, with a focus on components constructed from 3D self-assembly, is reviewed, and an outlook on their application potential in tomorrow's microelectronics world is provided.