Post-doctoral position: On chip dual comb spectrometer

Organisation/Company

Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies

Department

Photonics

Research Field

Physics

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

France

Application Deadline

28 Apr 2024 – 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

European Union / Next Generation EU

Reference Number

101097569

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

            Mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy is a nearly universal way to identify chemical and biological substances and to perform non-intrusive diagnostics. Indeed, the mid-IR spectral range contains the so-called “fingerprint” region (wavelength from 6 to 15 µm) in which most molecules have vibrational and rotational resonances. This wavelength range can, hence, be exploited to detect small traces of environmentally hazardous and toxic substances for a variety of applications including defense, security and industrial monitoring. A challenging task is to make mid-IR spectroscopy accessible in remote areas, driving the development of compact and cost-effective solutions to replace table-top systems.

            The development of mid-IR photonics circuits thus benefited from a burst of research activity in the recent years. Different solutions are explored for the development of an integrated mid-IR sensing platform. Among them silicon (Si) photonics can have a major impact for the development of mid-IR photonics by leveraging the reliable and high-volume fabrication technologies already developed for microelectronic integrated circuits. As a key point for optical spectroscopy and molecular sensing, the optical functions that will be developed using Si photonics circuits should offer the capability of retrieving the spectrum of a light beam after interaction with the substance to be analyzed, to detect the presence and quantify the concentration of the molecular compounds.

            Ge-rich SiGe photonics has been developed in our group in the recent years, in strong collaboration with Politecnico Di Milano. It has been demonstrated that graded index SiGe waveguide can be used in a large wavelength range in the mid-IR, and a large range of passive building bloc including Mach Zehnder interferometers [1] or integrated resonators have been obtained [2]. Then, the demonstration of large bandwidth optical source on chip based on non-linear optical effects of SiGe waveguides[3], and the realization of optoelectronic devices (modulator and photodetector) [4,5] complete the photonics platform.

            In this context, the goal of the post-doctoral position is to develop for the first time on chip dual comb spectrometer based on SiGe photonics circuits in the mid-IR. The beating of the two frequency combs will be detected and observed in the RF domain, targeting spectroscopy with sub-MHz-linewidth resolution. Different solutions will be investigated for the frequency comb source, based either or non-linear based or electro-optic based frequency comb generation. The opportunity to develop an advanced version of the demonstrator including the integration of the sensing part and the on-chip detection will be evaluated.

The research activity will include:

– Theoretical studies, design and modeling of the device

– Design and fabrication of the devices in in-house clean room

– Experimental characterizations of the devices, using mid-IR optical benchs already developed in the group

The work is done in the framework of ERC Electrophot project (2023-2028), in collaboration with L-Ness lab (Politecnico di Milano)

References

[1] M. Montesinos-Ballester, V. Vakarin, Q. Liu, X. Le Roux, J. Frigerio, A. Ballabio, A. Barzaghi, C. Alonso-Ramos, L. Vivien, G. Isella, D. Marris-Morini,Ge-rich graded SiGe waveguides and interferometers from 5 to 11 μm wavelength range, Optics Express, 28 (9), 12771 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.391464

[2] J-M. Ramirez, Q. Liu, V. Vakarin, X. Le Roux, J. Frigerio, A. Ballabio, C. Alonso Ramos, E. Talamas Simola, L. Vivien, G. Isella, D. Marris-Morini, Broadband integrated racetrack ring resonators for long-wave infrared photonics, Optics Letters, 44 (2), 407 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.44.000407

[3] M. Montesinos-Ballester, C. Lafforgue, J. Frigerio, A. Ballabio, V. Vakarin, Q. Liu, J. M. Ramirez, X. Le Roux, D. Bouville, A. Barzaghi, C. Alonso-Ramos, L. Vivien, G. Isella, and D. Marris-Morini, On-Chip Mid-Infrared Supercontinuum Generation from 3 to 13 μm Wavelength, ACS Photonics, 7, 3423-3429, (2020) https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.0c01232

[4] T.H.N. Nguyen, N. Koompai, V. Turpaud, M. Montesinos-Ballester, J. Peltier, J Frigerio, A. Ballabio, R. Giani, J-R. Coudevylle, C. Villebasse, D. Bouville, C. Alonso-Ramos, L. Vivien, G. Isella, D. Marris-Morini, 1 GHz electro-optical silicon-germanium modulator in the 5-9 μm wavelength range, Optics Express, 30, (26), 47093 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.476164

[5] T.H.N. Nguyen, N. Koompai, V. Turpaud, M. Montesinos-Ballester, J Frigerio, S. Calcaterra, A. Ballabio, X. Le Roux, J-R. Coudevylle, C. Villebasse, D. Bouville, C. Alonso-Ramos, L. Vivien, G. Isella, D. Marris-Morini, Room temperature integrated photodetector between 5 µm and 8 µm wavelength, Advanced Photonics Research, 2200237 (2022) http://doi.org/10.1002/adpr.202200237

Requirements

Research Field

Physics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

C2N / Universite Paris Saclay

Country

European Union

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

State/Province

France

City

Palaiseau

Website

https://www.c2n.universite-paris-saclay.fr/en/

Street

10, Boulevard Thomas Gobert

Postal Code

91120

STATUS: EXPIRED