Two-Dimensional Quasi Periodic Structures for Large-Scale Light Out-coupling with Amplitude, Phase and Polarization Control

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel design method for large-scale 2D quasi-periodic structures that enable efficient light out-coupling from photonic chips into atomic media, with control over intensity, phase, and polarization.

Contribution

The authors introduce a new design approach for 2D converter structures that facilitate integrated light out-coupling with polarization and phase control, eliminating external optical elements.

Findings

Achieved low divergence optical beams with high circular polarization.

Simulations show mean circular polarization contrast better than 30 dB.

Designed structures are scalable to large chip areas (100x100 μm²).

Abstract

Chip-scale light-atom interactions are vital for the miniaturization of atomic sensing systems, including clocks, magnetometers, gyroscopes and more. Combining as many photonic elements as possible onto a photonic chip greatly reduces size and power consumption, where the critical elements are those interfacing between the 2D circuit and the 3D vapor cell. We introduce a new design method for large scale two-dimensional converter structures, enabling out-coupling of radiation from the photonic chip into the atomic medium. These structures allow light intensity and phase spatial distribution and polarization control, without external light-manipulating elements. Large, 100x100 {\mu}m2 structures were designed generating low divergence optical beams with high degree of circular polarization. Simulations obtain mean circular polarization contrast of better than 30 dB.