DEVELOPMENT OF MEMS-BASED SILICON PHOTONIC INTEGRATED CIRCUIT FOR IR SENSING APPLICATIONS

Abstract

In this thesis, we aim to extend the sensing applications in near-infrared (NIR) using PIC chips and further explore the mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy applications using MEMS-based PICs. We develop a low-cost and industry-compatible approach to facilitate the integration of MEMS actuators in PICs on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. Based on it, we investigate the fundamental optical components in the PICs, including waveguide, directional coupler, resonator, and multi-functional switch. Besides, we demonstrate a refractive index (RI)-based sensing application using NIR optical resonator on polymer gas permeability testing, which shows the great potential of PICs for the miniaturization of the sensing system. Moreover, we demonstrate an on-chip Fourier-transform (FT)-based spectrometer in the MIR wavelength range, which could play an important role in the MIR absorption-based sensing applications.