The photosensitivity of silicon is inherently very low in the visible electromagnetic spectrum, and it drops rapidly beyond 800 nm in near-infrared wavelengths. We have experimentally demonstrated a technique utilizing photon-trapping surface structures to show a prodigious improvement of photoabsorption in 1-μm-thin silicon, surpassing the inherent absorption efficiency of gallium arsenide for a broad spectrum. The photon-trapping structures allow the bending of normally incident light by almost 90 deg to transform into laterally propagating modes along the silicon plane. Consequently, the propagation length of light increases, contributing to more than one order of magnitude improvement in absorption efficiency in photodetectors. This high-absorption phenomenon is explained by finite-difference time-domain analysis, where we show an enhanced photon density of states while substantially reducing the optical group velocity of light compared to silicon without photon-trapping structures, leading to significantly enhanced light–matter interactions. Our simulations also predict an enhanced absorption efficiency of photodetectors designed using 30- and 100-nm silicon thin films that are compatible with CMOS electronics. Despite a very thin absorption layer, such photon-trapping structures can enable high-efficiency and high-speed photodetectors needed in ultrafast computer networks, data communication, and imaging systems, with the potential to revolutionize on-chip logic and optoelectronic integration.

Dispersion of light waves is well known, but the subject deserves some comments. Certain classical equations do not fully respect causality; as an example, group velocity v_g is usually given as the first derivative of the angular frequency ω with respect to the angular spatial frequency k_m (or wavenumber) in the medium, whereas it is k_m that depends on ω. This paper also emphasizes the use of phase index n and group index n_g, as inverse of their respective velocities, normalized to 1/c, the inverse of free-space light velocity. This clarifies the understanding of dispersion equations: group dispersion parameter D is related to the first derivative of n_g with respect to wavelength λ, whilst group velocity dispersion GVD is also related to the first derivative of n_g, but now with respect to angular frequency ω. One notices that the term second order dispersion does not have the same meaning with λ, or with ω. In addition, two original and amusing geometrical constructions are proposed; they simply derive group index n_g from phase index n with a tangent, which helps to visualize their relationship. This applies to bulk materials, as well as to optical fibers and waveguides, and this can be extended to birefringence and polarization mode dispersion in polarization-maintaining fibers or birefringent waveguides.Dispersion of light waves is well known, but the subject deserves some comments. Certain classical equations do not fully respect causality; as an example, group velocity v_g is usually given as the first derivative of the angular frequency ω with respect to the angular spatial frequency k_m (or wavenumber) in the medium, whereas it is k_m that depends on ω. This paper also emphasizes the use of phase index n and group index n_g, as inverse of their respective velocities, normalized to 1/c, the inverse of free-space light velocity. This clarifies the understanding of dispersion equations: group dispersion parameter D is related to the first derivative of n_g with respect to wavelength λ, whilst group velocity dispersion GVD is also related to the first derivative of n_g, but now with respect to angular frequency ω. One notices that the term second order dispersion does not have the same meaning with λ, or with ω. In addition, two original and amusing geometrical constructions are proposed; they simply derive group index n_g from phase index n with a tangent, which helps to visualize their relationship. This applies to bulk materials, as well as to optical fibers and waveguides, and this can be extended to birefringence and polarization mode dispersion in polarization-maintaining fibers or birefringent waveguides.

提出并研究了一种宽带、大量程、方向可控的超短脉冲群速度调控方法。利用级联光参量放大，将泵浦光时域的线性强度调制转移至啁啾信号光频域的线性位相调制，压缩后信号光脉冲将获得延时或提前。通过调控泵浦时域强度调制的斜率大小和符号，可对信号光群速度调控的量程和方向进行灵活操控。级联光参量放大过程不需要满足位相匹配，响应带宽很大，原理上支持周期量级脉冲的群速度调控。分别研究了锯齿型和高斯型脉冲泵浦的级联光参量放大过程，演示验证了该方法的调控效果。该方法可在常规非线性晶体中实施，具备应用价值。