Compact In-Fiber Interferometer Formed by Long-Period Gratings in Photonic Crystal Fiber

We reported the design and implementation of an in-fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on a pair of long-period gratings (LPGs) written on a photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The LPG was fabricated by using a pulsed CO$_{2}$ laser to carve grooves periodically along the PCF. The MZI relies on the interference between the fundamental core mode and a cladding mode of the PCF. The MZI was further demonstrated as a temperature sensor and a strain sensor. The temperature and strain sensitivities were measured to be 42.4 pm/$^{circ}hbox{C}cdot hbox{m}$ and $-$ 2.6 pm/$mu varepsilon $, respectively. We also fabricated an MZI on a single-mode fiber, which has a temperature sensitivity of 1215.56 pm/( $^{circ}hbox{C}cdot hbox{m}$) and a strain sensitivity of $+$ 0.445 pm/$mu varepsilon $.      

Ultracompact Intrinsic Micro Air-Cavity Fiber Mach–Zehnder Interferometer

A compact intrinsic fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated by incorporating a micro air-cavity ablated by femtosecond laser irradiation. A short cavity of length $sim$10 $muhbox{m}$ along the single-mode fiber core provided two optical paths: one propagating through the air and the other guided along the ring-shaped silica cladding. A spectral analysis confirmed MZI in a good agreement with experimental results. Temperature-dependent spectral shifts were measured and analyzed.      

Fiber Inline Core–Cladding-Mode Mach–Zehnder Interferometer Fabricated by Two-Point CO$_{2}$ Laser Irradiations

We report a fiber inline Mach–Zehnder-type core–cladding-mode interferometer fabricated by two-point CO$_{2}$ laser irradiations on a single-mode fiber. The laser irradiations caused efficient light coupling from the core mode to the lower order cladding modes and vise versa. High-quality interference spectra with a fringe visibility of about 20 dB were observed for four different interferometer lengths (5, 10, 20, and 40 mm). The temperature sensitivity of the device with a length of 5 mm was measured to be 0.0817 nm/$^{circ}$C. The sensitivity for refractive index measurement of the device was comparable with a long-period fiber grating of LP$_{04}$ cladding mode.      

50-GHz-Spacing Athermal Mach–Zehnder Interferometer-Synchronized Arrayed-Waveguide Grating With Improved Temperature Insensitivity

We describe a technique designed to compensate for the residual temperature sensitivity of an athermal silica-based arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) and its application to a 50-GHz-spacing multi/demultiplexer with a low loss and a wide passband. The device has a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI)-synchronized configuration, in which the AWG and the MZI are athermalized with resin-filled grooves. The point is that we employ a temperature-dependent phase-generating coupler (TD-PGC) in the MZI to compensate for the second-order temperature dependence of the AWG passband wavelength. The fabricated device exhibits practical characteristics including a low loss of less than 3.5 dB and a wide 0.5-dB bandwidth of 24.1 GHz as well as a reduced wavelength variation of less than 10 pm in a ${-}$ 5 $^{circ}hbox{C}$ to 65 $^{circ}hbox{C}$ temperature range.      

Generating 4 20 GHz and 4 40 GHz Pulse Trains From a Single 10-GHz Mode-Locked Laser Using a Tunable Planar Lightwave Circuit

We demonstrate a tunable pulse repetition rate multiplier using a silica-based planar lightwave circuit (PLC). The PLC is a six-stage lattice-form Mach–Zehnder interferometer which can be tuned thermally to generate 20- and 40-GHz output pulse trains from a 10-GHz input. We use a nonlinear optical loop mirror as a wavelength converter to perform intensity-to-field conversion to eliminate pulse-to-pulse phase fluctuations in the higher-rate output pulse trains. Moreover, we use wavelength multicasting (simultaneous wavelength conversion) to generate multiple pulse trains (4$,times,$ 20 GHz and 4$,times,$ 40 GHz in the example shown here) from a single 10-GHz input.      

Monolithic Integration of a Multiplexer/Demultiplexer With a Thermo-Optic VOA Array on an SOI Platform

In this letter, a nine-channel 100-GHz arrayed waveguide grating multiplexer/demultiplexer is monolithically integrated with a Mach–Zehnder interferometer thermo-optic variable optical attenuators (VOAs) arrayed on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The on-chip transmission loss is $sim$6 dB and the crosstalk is less than $-$25 dB for the transverse-electric mode. The maximum modulation depths of different thermo-optic VOAs are similar, $sim$ 15 dB with 2.7-V bias. The frequency response of our device is fast ($geq$ 100 kHz) for thermo-optic effect devices. The maximum power consumption of a single VOA is less than 35 mW.      

Integrated Hydrogen-Sensing Amplifier With GaAs Schottky-Type Diode and InGaP–GaAs Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor

New hydrogen-sensing amplifiers are fabricated by integrating a GaAs Schottky-type hydrogen sensor and an InGaP–GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor. Sensing collector currents ( $I_{rm CN}$ and $I_{rm CH}$) reflecting to $hbox{N}_{2}$ and hydrogen-containing gases are employed as output signals in common-emitter characteristics. Gummel-plot sensing characteristics with testing gases as inputs show a high sensing-collector-current gain $(I_{rm CH}/I_{rm CN})$ of $≫hbox{3000}$. When operating in standby mode for in situ long-term detection, power consumption is smaller than 0.4 $muhbox{W}$. Furthermore, the room-temperature response time is 85 s for the integrated hydrogen-sensing amplifier fabricated with a bipolar-type structure.      

$hbox{TiN/ZrO}_{2}$/Ti/Al Metal–Insulator–Metal Capacitors With Subnanometer CET Using ALD-Deposited $hbox{ZrO}_{2}$ for DRAM Applications

We provide the first report of the structural and electrical properties of $hbox{TiN/ZrO}_{2}$/Ti/Al metal–insulator–metal capacitor structures, where the $hbox{ZrO}_{2}$ thin film (7–8 nm) is deposited by ALD using the new zirconium precursor ZrD-04, also known as Bis(methylcyclopentadienyl) methoxymethyl. Measured capacitance–voltage ($C$– $V$) and current–voltage ( $I$–$V$) characteristics are reported for premetallization rapid thermal annealing (RTP) in $hbox{N}_{2}$ for 60 s at 400 $^{circ}hbox{C}$, 500 $^{circ}hbox{C}$, or 600 $^{ circ}hbox{C}$. For the RTP at 400 $^{circ}hbox{C}$ , we find very low leakage current densities on the order of nanoamperes per square centimeter at a gate voltage of 1 V and low capacitance equivalent thickness values of $sim$ 0.9 nm at a gate voltage of 0 V. The dielectric constant of $ hbox{ZrO}_{2}$ is 31 $pm$ 2 after RTP treatment at 400 $^{circ}hbox{C}$.      

Etched Waveguide Grating Variable 1 $,times,$2 Splitter/Combiner and Waveguide Coupler

We propose and test a silicon waveguide grating which serves dual functions: as a 1$,times,$ 2 variable integrated beam splitter/combiner and as an out-of plane diffractive element for coupling light between a single-mode optical fiber and a 500-nm-wide silicon-on-insulator waveguide. An integrated Mach–Zehnder interferometer made with this novel functional element had over 20-dB extinction ratio. The splitting ratio can be tuned by changing the launch position of the optical fiber. The grating coupler had over 36% coupling efficiency and a 1-dB spectral bandwidth of 37 nm.      

Widely Tunable Micro-Mechanical External-Cavity Diode Laser Emitting Around 2.1 $mu$ m

A widely tunable $(Delta lambda/lambda =7hbox{%})$ micro-mechanical external cavity GaSb-based diode laser ($mu$ ECL) emitting around 2.1 $mu$ m is presented. A micro-machined grating with a rectangular grating profile, which can be tilted electrostatically, is employed as wavelength selective element within the external cavity using a Littrow configuration. An optimized grating profile leads to a high diffraction efficiency in the ${-}1$st diffraction order and therefore to a broad tuning range of 152 nm. The maximum output power of the fiber coupled $mu$ ECL system varied only moderately between 22 and 10 mW across the tuning range.      

In-Line Abrupt Taper Optical Fiber Mach–Zehnder Interferometric Strain Sensor

A Mach–Zehnder interferometer with two abrupt single-mode fiber tapers is simulated, constructed, and demonstrated. The interferometer has an insertion loss of 5 dB and an extinction ratio over 15 dB. The interferometer is tested as a strain sensor based on the maximum attenuation wavelength shift with a comparable sensitivity (slope: 2000 nm/ $varepsilon, R^{2} =0.996$) with long-period-grating-type sensor and promises low fabrication cost.      

Performance Improvement of N-Type $hbox{TiO}_{x}$ Active-Channel TFTs Grown by Low-Temperature Plasma-Enhanced ALD

We report on performance improvement of $n$-type oxide–semiconductor thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on $hbox{TiO}_{x}$ active channels grown at 250 $^{circ}hbox{C}$ by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition. TFTs with as-grown $hbox{TiO}_{x}$ films exhibited the saturation mobility $(mu_{rm sat})$ as high as 3.2 $hbox{cm}^{2}/hbox{V}cdothbox{s}$ but suffered from the low on–off ratio $(I_{rm ON}/I_{rm OFF})$ of $hbox{2.0} times hbox{10}^{2}$. $hbox{N}_{2}hbox{O}$ plasma treatment was then attempted to improve $I_{rm ON}/I_{rm OFF}$. Upon treatment, the $hbox{TiO}_{x}$ TFTs exhibited $I_{rm ON}/I_{rm OFF}$ of $hbox{4.7} times hbox{10}^{5}$ and $mu_{rm sat}$ of 1.64 $hbox{cm}^{2}/hbox{V}cdothbox{s}$, showing a much improved performance balance and, thus, demonstrating their potentials for a wide variety of applications such as backplane technology in active-matrix displays and radio-frequency identification tags.      

Extraction of the Effective Mobility of $ hbox{In}_{0.53}hbox{Ga}_{0.47}hbox{As}$ MOSFETs

The extraction of the effective mobility on $hbox{In}_{0.53} hbox{Ga}_{0.47}hbox{As}$ metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) is studied and shown to be greater than 3600 $hbox{cm}^{2}/hbox{V} cdot hbox{s}$. The removal of $C_{rm it}$ response in the split $C$–$V$ measurement of these devices is crucial to the accurate analysis of these devices. Low-temperature split $C$–$V$ can be used to freeze out the $D_{rm it}$ response to the ac signal but maintain its effect on the free carrier density through the substrate potential. Simulations that match this low-temperature data can then be “warmed up” to room temperature and an accurate measure of $Q_{rm inv}$ is achieved. These results confirm the fundamental performance advantages of $hbox{In}_{0.53}hbox{Ga}_{0.47}hbox{As}$ MOSFETs.      

A Low Phase-Noise QVCO With Integrated Back-Gate Coupling and Source Resistive Degeneration Technique

A 0.18 $mu$ m CMOS quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator with an extremely-low phase noise is presented. The excellent phase noise performance is accomplished by integration of the back-gate quadrature phase coupling and source resistive degeneration techniques into a complementary oscillator topology. The measured phase noise is as low as ${-}133$ dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from 3.01 GHz. The output phase imbalance is less than 1$^{circ}$ . The output power is $-1.25{pm} 0.5$ dBm and harmonic suppression is greater than 30.8 dBc. The oscillator core consumes 5.38 mA from a 1.5 V power supply. This QVCO achieves the highest figure-of-merit of ${-}193.5$ dBc/Hz.      

180$^{circ}$ and 90$^{circ}$ Phase Shifting Networks With an Octave Bandwidth and Small Phase Errors

A new phase shifting network for both 180 $^{circ}$ and 90 $^{circ}$ phase shift with small phase errors over an octave bandwidth is presented. The theoretical bandwidth is 67% for the 180$^{circ}$ phase bit and 86% for the 90$^{circ}$ phase bit when phase errors are $pm 2^{circ}$. The proposed topology consists of a bandpass filter (BPF) branch, consisting of a LC resonator and two shunt quarter-wavelength transmission lines (TLs), and a reference TL. A theoretical analysis is provided and scalable parameters are listed for both phase bits. To test the theory, phase shifting networks from 1 GHz to 3 GHz were designed. The measured phase errors of the 180$^{circ}$ and the 90$^{circ}$ phase bit are $pm 3.5^{circ}$ and $pm 2.5^{circ}$ over a bandwidth of 73% and 102% while the return losses are better than 18 dB and 12 dB, respectively.      

A Two-Port Single-Mode Fiber–Silicon Wire Waveguide Coupler Module Using Spot-Size Converters

In this paper, the performance of a two-port single-mode fiber–silicon wire waveguide coupler module which utilizes an identical spot-size converter (SSC) at the input and output ports is reported. Each of the silicon (Si)-based SSCs comprised cascaded horizontal linear and vertical nonlinear up-tapers measured 300 and 200 $mu$ m in length, respectively, in a common silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The structural parameters of the tapers were designed for compactness and relaxed tolerance to fabrication errors. The total length of the two-port coupler module was 1000 $mu$ m plus the variable length of the wire waveguide connecting the two SSCs. The mode-field diameter (MFD) of the Si-wire waveguide, 0.32$,times,$0.46 $mu$m $^{2}$, was transformed to the diameter of 2.8$,times,$ 8.0 $mu$ m$^{2}$ at the wavelength of 1.55 $mu$ m (corresponding to an area expansion of about 150 times) and vice versa by the SSCs with a net transmission loss of 4.1 dB/port. The field-mismatch loss between the SSC and the single-mode fiber with the MFD of 5.2 $mu$m was 2.1 dB/port.      

A 10:1 Unequal Wilkinson Power Divider Using Coupled Lines With Two Shorts

A novel unequal Wilkinson power divider is presented. A coupled-line section with two shorts is proposed to realize the high characteristic impedance line, which cannot be implemented by conventional microstrip fabrication technique due to fabrication limitation. The proposed coupled-line structure is compatible with single layer integration and can be easily designed based on an even-odd mode analysis. As a design example, a 10:1 Wilkinson power divider at 2 GHz is fabricated and measured. The measured $-10~{rm dB}$ bandwidth of $S_{11}$ is about 16%, and the isolation $S_{32}$ is better than $-20~{rm dB}$ . The measured amplitude balance between output port 2 and port 3 is between $-10.20~{rm dB}$ and $-9.52~{rm dB}$, and the corresponding phase difference is between 0$^{circ}$ and 4.6$^{circ}$.      

A Low-Voltage Mobility-Based Frequency Reference for Crystal-Less ULP Radios

The design of a 100 kHz frequency reference based on the electron mobility in a MOS transistor is presented. The proposed low-voltage low-power circuit requires no off-chip components, making it suitable for application in wireless sensor networks (WSN). After a single-point calibration, the spread of its output frequency is less than 1.1% (3$sigma $) over the temperature range from $-{hbox{22}},^{circ}{hbox{C}}$ to 85$,^{circ}{hbox{C}}$ . Fabricated in a baseline 65$~$nm CMOS technology, the frequency reference circuit occupies 0.11$ hbox{mm}^{2}$ and draws 34 $ muhbox{A}$ from a 1.2 V supply at room temperature.      

Bend-Free Optical Power Transfer Using Photonic Crystal Waveguide Arrays

We report the study of 2-D photonic-crystal waveguide arrays (PCWA) composed of $N$ identical waveguides coupled evanescently with each other. The coupling properties of the waveguide modes are investigated using coupled-mode theory and finite-difference time domain method. One straightforward application of such an analysis is to route input power from a central waveguide to side waveguides. As a result, appropriate designs of PCWAs may permit the realization of efficient, compact and novel devices. For instance, we show that power dividers, switchers, and Mach–Zehnder interferometers can be feasible using $N =3$ channels. On the other hand, $N =5$ waveguides can divide the input power by 1/4 at a distance of approximately 37.2 $ mu{hbox {m}} $. Waveguide bends and Y-type junctions are used heavily for power transfer but they are prone to scattering losses; hence, lowering the transmission efficiency. They can be eliminated by means of PCWAs in the design of optical power distribution through photonic circuits.      

Evaluation of High-Temperature Absorption Coefficients of Ionized Gas Plasmas in Optical Fibers

The large absorption coefficient $alpha$ of a fiber core at high temperatures is closely related to the generation of a fiber fuse. When silica glass is heated to a temperature above 4500 K, it forms Si $^{+}$ and O $^{+}$ ions and electrons in the ionized gas plasma state. We estimate the $alpha$ value for the plasma in the fiber core at high temperatures. $alpha$ begins to increase at 3500 K, then increases rapidly with increasing temperature above 4000 K, reaching a value of $1times 10^{7}$ m$^{-1}$ at 6000 K. This value is about 300 times that necessary for initiating a fiber fuse.