Tunable circuit and waveguide system and method on optical fiber

Abstract

The present disclosure provides devices, systems, circuits, and effective methods for advanced optical applications using plasmonics and ENZ materials. The disclosure provides for enhancement of the optical tunability of phase and amplitude of propagating plasmons, nonlinear-optical effects, and resonant network in optical fiber tip nanocircuits and integrates the tunable plasmonic and ENZ effects for in-fiber applications to provide optical fiber with high operating speed and low power consumption. The invention yields efficient coupling of a plasmonic functional nanocircuit on the facet of an optical fiber core. The invention also can use gate-tunable ENZ materials to electrically and nonlinear optically tune the plasmonic nanocircuits for advanced light manipulation. The invention efficiently integrates and manipulates the voltage-tuned ENZ resonance for phase and amplitude modulation in optical fiber nanocircuits.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A circuit device, comprising:
 a first optical fiber; and   a circuit coupled to the optical fiber, the circuit comprising:
 a coupler configured to directly couple light energy from the first optical fiber with plasmonic energy on the circuit; and 
 at least one waveguide formed in the circuit and coupled to the coupler, the waveguide configured to conduct plasmonic energy on the circuit. 
   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first optical fiber is a multicore fiber configured to provide a plurality of inputs to the circuit. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a second output optical fiber coupled to the circuit and configured to receive output from the circuit to emit light energy from the second optical fiber. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the second optical fiber is a multicore fiber having a plurality of output ports. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the first optical fiber is a multicore fiber configured to provide a plurality of inputs to the circuit. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the waveguide is formed in a metal layer and further comprising a dielectric layer deposited on the metal layer and a transparent conducting oxide layer deposited on the dielectric layer and wherein an applied bias changes a resonance of the layers for phase and amplitude modulation in the circuit. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises an output and an amount of energy from the output is dependent of an electrical bias applied to the circuit. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises an output and an amount of energy from the output is dependent of a frequency light energy to the circuit. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises a plurality of waveguides, wherein each waveguide of the plurality of waveguides is formed with an input coupler and an output coupler and the output coupler is configured to emit energy from the waveguide. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one waveguide of the plurality of waveguides has a different length than at least another waveguide of the plurality of waveguides. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises a directional coupler comprising:
 a first waveguide having an input coupler and an output coupler;   a second waveguide having an input coupler and an output coupler, the second waveguide having a length aligned in parallel proximity to a length of the first waveguide that is configured to couple an evanescent field between the first and second waveguides.   
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein a change in frequency of light energy provided to the input coupler of the first waveguide changes an emission of light energy of the output coupler of the first waveguide compared to the output coupler of the second waveguide. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises a polarization splitter comprising:
 a first waveguide having an input coupler and an output coupler, the input coupler being oriented with a first incident polarization light at a first angle;   a second waveguide having an input coupler and an output coupler, the input coupler being oriented with a second incident polarization light at a second angle;   wherein the first waveguide and the second waveguide conduct different energy levels depending on the polarization angle of the incident polarization light.   
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises a resonant guided wave network, comprising:
 a plurality of waveguides each having a coupler on each end of the waveguide,   wherein at least one of the couplers is configured as an input coupler to receive light energy from the optical fiber and a plurality of other couplers are configured as output couplers,   wherein the waveguides create multiple resonances due to coherent interference of plasmon waves through the waveguides.   
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14 , wherein emission of light energy through the output couplers is dependent on a frequency of incident light to the input coupler. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the circuit comprises a plasmonic waveguide sensor, wherein:
 the at least one waveguide comprises an input coupler and an end, wherein the end reflects plasmonic energy in the waveguide and at least a portion of the reflected plasmonic energy converts to light energy returned to the optical fiber.   
     
     
         17 . A method of manufacturing a circuit device, comprising:
 providing an optical fiber;   depositing a metal layer on the optical fiber;   milling a slot into the metal layer configured to form a waveguide; and   milling a coupler into the metal layer and configured to directly couple light energy from the optical fiber with plasmonic energy in the waveguide.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 depositing a dielectric layer on the metal layer;   depositing a transparent conducting oxide layer on the dielectric layer, wherein an is applied bias changes a resonance of the layers for phase and amplitude modulation in the circuits.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising depositing a transparent conducting oxide layer on the metal layer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein milling comprises using at least one of focused ion beam processing and electron beam lithography.