The Photonic Devices Group operates at the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano since 1996. Our prime competences are in passive and nonlinear integrated optical circuits on several photonic platform (silica-on-silicon technology, high index contrast Silicon Oxynitride, Silicon Nitride, Silicon on insulator, chalcogenide and Indium Phosphide), from electromagnetic analysis to circuit design, from waveguides characterization to devices testing, from devices for high bit rates optical communication systems to sensors and optical interconnect. We are involved in several Italian (PRIN) and European project (FP7, FET, EDA contract) and our collaborations include worldwide partners both academicals and industrials.
Our area of experience include design, simulation, characterization and testing of photonic devices and circuits; the acquired experience in circuit simulation led us to develop a commercial PICs simulator (ASPIC). We are working to increase the integration level of photonics integrated circuit by implementing smart actuators, transparent detectors and state of the art feedback techniques to steer their response; while reducing the design complexity by means process design kit that allow to design circuits without knowledge of the physical level. Our experience include also the exploitation of Photonic Integrated Circuit for CBRN and cancer detection.
The laboratories of the Photonic Devices Group are equipped with five optical benches suitable for a broad range of measurement. Each setup is equipped with microscope and/or visible cameras; micro- and nano-positioning system for fibre and objective butt and vertical coupling; thermo-electric controller for temperature stabilization of the samples; manual or automated polarization controllers; PC for automatic bench management. Four setup are equipped with PC-controlled fibre positioning system and tapered/lensed fibres suitable for characterization of nano-waveguides. One setup is devoted to medium and large core waveguides or fibre characterization. The Photonic Device Group have access to the PoliFab clean room, the new micro and nano technology center of the Politecnico di Milano created to provide the highest technological standards for a wide range of applications and processes involving the five Key Enabling Technologies: photonics, micro and nanoelectronics, biotechnologies, advanced materials and nanotechnology.