For systems that require complete metallic enclosures (e.g., containment buildings for nuclear reactors), it is impossible to access interior sensors and equipment using standard electromagnetic techniques. A viable way to communicate and supply power through metallic barriers is the use of elastic waves and ultrasonic transducers, introducing several design challenges that must be addressed. Specifically, the use of multiple communication channels on the same enclosure introduces an additional mechanism for signal crosstalk between channels: guided waves propagating in the barrier between channels. This work numerically and experimentally investigates a machined phononic crystal to block MHz Lamb wave propagation between ultrasonic communication channels, greatly reducing wave propagation and the resulting crosstalk voltage. Blind grooves are machined into one or both sides of a metallic barrier to introduce a periodic unit cell, greatly altering the guided wave dispersion in the barrier. Numerical simulations are used to determine a set of groove geometries for testing, and experiments were performed to characterize the wave-blocking performance of each design. The best-performing design was tested using piezoelectric transducers bonded to the barrier, showing a 14.4 dB reduction in crosstalk voltage. Overall, the proposed periodic grooving method is a promising technique for completely isolating ultrasonic power/data transfer systems operating in a narrow frequency range.
ROL-PEBBL is a C++, MPI-based parallel code for mixed-integer PDE-constrained optimization (MIPDECO). In these problems we wish to optimize (control, design, etc.) physical systems, which must obey the laws of physics, when some of the decision variables must take integer values. ROL-PEBBL combines a code to efficiently search over integer choices (PEBBL = Parallel Enumeration Branch-and-Bound Library) and a code for efficient nonlinear optimization, including PDE-constrained optimization (ROL = Rapid Optimization Library). In this report, we summarize the design of ROL-PEBBL and initial applications/results. For an artificial source-inversion problem, finding sources of pollution on a grid from sparse samples, ROL-PEBBLs solution for the nest grid gave the best optimization guarantee for any general solver that gives both a solution and a quality guarantee.
For systems that require complete metallic enclosures (e.g., containment buildings for nuclear reactors), it is impossible to access interior sensors and equipment using standard electromagnetic techniques. A viable way to communicate and supply power through metallic barriers is the use of elastic waves and ultrasonic transducers, introducing several design challenges that must be addressed. The objective of this work is to investigate the use of piezoelectric transducers for both sending and receiving power and data through a metallic barrier using elastic waves at ultrasonic frequencies above 1 MHz. High-fidelity numerical and simplified analytical models are developed for ultrasonic transmission and novel strategies are explored to eliminate crosstalk between channels.
Two dimensional SiC-air phononic crystals have been modeled, fabricated, and tested with a measured bandgap ranging from 665 to 693 MHz. Snowflake air inclusions on a hexagonal lattice were used for the phononic crystal. By manipulating the phononic crystal lattice and inserting circular inclusions, a waveguide was created at 680 MHz. The combined insertion loss and propagation loss for the waveguide is 8.2 dB, i.e., 39% of the energy is guided due to the high level of the confinement afforded by the phononic crystal. The SiC-air phononic crystals and waveguides were fabricated using a CMOS-compatible process, which allows for seamless integration of these devices into wireless communication systems operating at microwave frequencies.
We present a scalable phonon-based quantum computer on a phononic crystal platform. Practical schemes involve selective placement of a single acceptor atom in the peak of the strain field in a high-Q phononic crystal cavity that enables coupling of the phonon modes to the energy levels of the atom. We show theoretical optimization of the cavity design and coupling waveguide, along with estimated performance figures of the coupled system. A qubit can be created by entangling a phonon at the resonance frequency of the cavity with the atom states. Qubits based on this half-sound, half-matter quasi-particle, called a phoniton, may outcompete other quantum architectures in terms of combined emission rate, coherence lifetime, and fabrication demands.
The systematic design, fabrication, and characterization of an isolated, single-mode, 90° bend phononic crystal (PnC) waveguide are presented. A PnC consisting of a 2D square array of circular air holes in an aluminum substrate is used, and waveguides are created by introducing a line defect in the PnC lattice. A high transmission coefficient is observed (-1 dB) for the straight sections of the waveguide, and an overall 2.3 dB transmission loss is observed (a transmission coefficient of 76%) for the 90° bend. Further optimization of the structure may yield higher transmission efficiencies. This manuscript shows the complete design process for an engineered 90° bend PnC waveguide from inception to experimental demonstration.
The Frequency Translation to Demonstrate a Hybrid Quantum Architecture project focused on developing nonlinear optics to couple two different ion species and make their emitted UV photons indistinguishable. Successful demonstration of photonic coupling of different ion species lays the foundation for coupling drastically different types of qubits, such as ions and quantum dots. Frequency conversion of single photons emitted from single ions remains a "hot" topic with many groups pursing this effort; however due to challenges in producing short period periodically poled crystal it has yet to be realized. This report details the efforts of trying to frequency convert single photons emitted from trapped ions to other wavelengths. We present our theoretical studies of candidate platforms for frequency conversion: photonic crystal fibers, X(2) nonlinear crystals in optical cavities, and photonic crystal cavities. We also present experiment results in ion trapping X(2) nonlinear crystals measurements and photonic crystal fabrication
This paper demonstrates silicon carbide phononic crystal cavities for RF and microwave micromechanical resonators. We demonstrate design, fabrication, and characterization of Silicon Carbide/air phononic crystals used as Bragg acoustic mirrors to confine energy in a lateral SiC cavity. Aluminum nitride transducers drive and sense SiC overtone cavities in the 2-3GHz range with fxQ products exceeding 3×1013 in air. This approach enables decoupling of the piezoelectric AlN material from the SiC cavity, resulting in high Q resonators at microwave frequencies. The SiC cavities are fabricated in a CMOS-compatible process, enabling integration with wirelesss communication systems.
A two-dimensional phononic crystal (PnC) that can operate in the GHz range is created in a freestanding silicon substrate using NanoFIBrication (using a focused ion beam (FIB) to fabricate nanostructures). First, a simple cubic 6.75 x 6.75 ?m array of vias with 150 nm spacing is generated. After patterning the vias, they are backfilled with void-free tungsten scatterers. Each via has a diameter of 48 nm. Numerical calculations predict this 2D PnC will generate a band gap near 22 GHz. A protective layer of chromium on top of the thin (100 nm) silicon membrane confines the surface damage to the chromium, which can be removed at a later time. Inspection of the underside of the membrane shows the vias flaring out at the exit, which we are dubbing the 'trumpet effect'. The trumpet effect is explained by modeling the lateral damage in a freestanding membrane.
Phononic crystals (or acoustic crystals) are the acoustic wave analogue of photonic crystals. Here a periodic array of scattering inclusions located in a homogeneous host material forbids certain ranges of acoustic frequencies from existence within the crystal, thus creating what are known as acoustic (or phononic) bandgaps. The vast majority of phononic crystal devices reported prior to this LDRD were constructed by hand assembling scattering inclusions in a lossy viscoelastic medium, predominantly air, water or epoxy, resulting in large structures limited to frequencies below 1 MHz. Under this LDRD, phononic crystals and devices were scaled to very (VHF: 30-300 MHz) and ultra (UHF: 300-3000 MHz) high frequencies utilizing finite difference time domain (FDTD) modeling, microfabrication and micromachining technologies. This LDRD developed key breakthroughs in the areas of micro-phononic crystals including physical origins of phononic crystals, advanced FDTD modeling and design techniques, material considerations, microfabrication processes, characterization methods and device structures. Micro-phononic crystal devices realized in low-loss solid materials were emphasized in this work due to their potential applications in radio frequency communications and acoustic imaging for medical ultrasound and nondestructive testing. The results of the advanced modeling, fabrication and integrated transducer designs were that this LDRD produced the 1st measured phononic crystals and phononic crystal devices (waveguides) operating in the VHF (67 MHz) and UHF (937 MHz) frequency bands and established Sandia as a world leader in the area of micro-phononic crystals.
The three-dimensional confinement inherent in InAs self-assembled quantum dots (SAQDs) yields vastly different optical properties compared to one-dimensionally confined quantum well systems. Intersubband transitions in quantum dots can emit light normal to the growth surface, whereas transitions in quantum wells emit only parallel to the surface. This is a key difference that can be exploited to create a variety of quantum dot devices that have no quantum well analog. Two significant problems limit the utilization of the beneficial features of SAQDs as mid-infrared emitters. One is the lack of understanding concerning how to electrically inject carriers into electronic states that allow optical transitions to occur efficiently. Engineering of an injector stage leading into the dot can provide current injection into an upper dot state; however, to increase the likelihood of an optical transition, the lower dot states must be emptied faster than upper states are occupied. The second issue is that SAQDs have significant inhomogeneous broadening due to the random size distribution. While this may not be a problem in the long term, this issue can be circumvented by using planar photonic crystal or plasmonic approaches to provide wavelength selectivity or other useful functionality.
This paper introduces approaches that combine micro/nanomolding, or nanoimprinting, techniques with proximity optical phase mask lithographic methods to form three dimensional (3D) nanostructures in thick, transparent layers of photopolymers. The results demonstrate three strategies of this type, where molded relief structures in these photopolymers represent (i) fine (<1 μm) features that serve as the phase masks for their own exposure, (ii) coarse features (>1 μm) that are used with phase masks to provide access to large structure dimensions, and (iii) fine structures that are used together phase masks to achieve large, multilevel phase modulations. Several examples are provided, together with optical modeling of the fabrication process and the transmission properties of certain of the fabricated structures. Lastly, these approaches provide capabilities in 3D fabrication that complement those of other techniques, with potential applications in photonics, microfluidics, drug delivery and other areas.
The LIGA microfabrication technique offers a unique method for fabricating 3-dimensional photonic lattices based on the Iowa State "logpile" structure. These structures represent the [111] orientation of the [100] logpile structures previously demonstrated by Sandia National Laboratories, The novelty to this approach is the single step process that does not require any alignment. The mask and substrate are fixed to one another and exposed twice from different angles using a synchrotron light source. The first exposure patterns the resist at an angle of 45 degrees normal to the substrate with a rotation of 8 degrees. The second exposure requires a 180 degree rotation about the normal of the mask and substrate. The resulting pattern is a vertically oriented logpile pattern that is rotated slightly off axis. The exposed PMMA is developed in a single step to produce an inverse lattice structure. This mold is filled with electroplated gold and stripped away to create a usable gold photonic crystal. Tilted logpiles demonstrate band characteristics very similar to those observed from [100] logpiles. Reflectivity tests show a band edge around 5 μm and compare well with numerical simulations.
Nano photonic materials are synthetically manufactured crystals at the nano scale with the target of creating a microstructure with a special electro-magnetic periodicity. Such nano photonic materials have the ability to control light propagation and thus are capable of creating photonic bandgaps in the frequency domain. We propose using nano photonic crystals as sensors to detect microdamage in composite materials. We demonstrate using a simulation model that a nano photonic sensor attached to a composite bar experiences a significant change in its bandgap profile when damage is induced in the composite bar. The model predicts the frequency response of the nano photonic sensor using the transfer matrix method. A damage metric to evaluate the change in the frequency response is developed. Successful developments of nano photonic sensors allow damage identification at scales not attainable using current sensing technologies.
Light propagating through a subwavelength aperture can be dramatically increased by etching a grating in the metal around the hole. Moreover, light that would typically broadly diverge when passing through an unpatterned subwavelength hole can be directed into a narrow beam by utilizing a specific pattern around the aperture. While the increased transmission and narrowed angular emission appear to defy far-field diffraction theory, they are consistent with a fortuitous plasmon/photon coupling. In addition, the coupling between photons and surface plasmons affects the emissivity of a surface comprised of such structures. These properties are useful across several strategic areas of interest to Sandia. A controllable emission spectrum could benefit satellite and military application areas. Photolithography and near-field microscopy are natural applications for a system that controls light beyond the diffraction limit in a manner that is easily parallelizable. Over the one year of this LDRD, we have built or modified the numerical tools necessary to model such structures. These numerical codes and the knowledge base for using them appropriately will be available in the future for modeling work on surface plasmons or other optical modeling at Sandia. Using these tools, we have designed and optimized structures for various transmission or emission properties. We demonstrate the ability to design a metallic skin with an emissivity peak at a pre-determined wavelength in the spectrum. We optimize structures for maximum light transmission and show transmitted beams that beat the far-field diffraction limit.