IEM Seminar Series: Teaching a material new tricks: reconfigurable 2nd order nonlinearities on chip
Event details
| Date | 13.05.2026 |
| Hour | 14:00 › 15:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Camille-Sophie Brès, Photonics System Laboratory (PHOSL), IEM |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract
The drive toward fully integrated photonic systems demands the seamless integration of diverse functionalities within a unified material platform where possible. Silicon nitride has emerged as a cornerstone platform due to its low loss, CMOS compatibility, excellent χ⁽³⁾ nonlinearity, and maturity in large-scale process flows. Yet its lack of an intrinsic second-order nonlinearity χ⁽²⁾ has limited its use in applications requiring efficient frequency conversion. In this talk, I will present how all-optical poling enables self-written χ⁽²⁾ nonlinear gratings in silicon nitride, effectively teaching this material new tricks while preserving its fabrication advantages and unlocking a flexible and broadband second-order nonlinearity directly within standard SiN waveguides.
When combined with high-Q microresonators that enable nonlinear optical phenomena at milliwatt power levels, remarkable opportunities emerge. These include ultrabroadband frequency doublers for wavelength conversion, high-coherence short-wavelength sources for applications in quantum technologies and spectroscopy, and flexible visible light sources with tunable characteristics through cascaded processes. We will also show how it unlocks monolithic linear electro-optic modulation. This approach opens new directions for silicon nitride integrated photonics, enabling unprecedented functionality while maintaining compatibility with existing fabrication infrastructure.
Bio
Prof. Camille-Sophie Brès is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Electrical Engineering within the School of Engineering of EPFL and head of the Photonics System Laboratory (PHOSL) and the director of the doctoral program in Photonics (EDPO). She received a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) in 2002, and the PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Princeton University in 2007. She joined EPFL after a postdoc at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Her research interests lie on inducing, leveraging and enhancing nonlinear processes in waveguides for the optimization of light manipulation, exploiting the unique properties of various material platforms (SiN, AlN, TFLN, SiC ...) combined with advanced device engineering. Prof. Brès received the Early Career Woman in Engineering Award in 2016. She is the recipient of ERC StG, CoG, AdG and PoC. She is a senior member of the IEEE and SPIE, and a fellow of OPTICA.
The drive toward fully integrated photonic systems demands the seamless integration of diverse functionalities within a unified material platform where possible. Silicon nitride has emerged as a cornerstone platform due to its low loss, CMOS compatibility, excellent χ⁽³⁾ nonlinearity, and maturity in large-scale process flows. Yet its lack of an intrinsic second-order nonlinearity χ⁽²⁾ has limited its use in applications requiring efficient frequency conversion. In this talk, I will present how all-optical poling enables self-written χ⁽²⁾ nonlinear gratings in silicon nitride, effectively teaching this material new tricks while preserving its fabrication advantages and unlocking a flexible and broadband second-order nonlinearity directly within standard SiN waveguides.
When combined with high-Q microresonators that enable nonlinear optical phenomena at milliwatt power levels, remarkable opportunities emerge. These include ultrabroadband frequency doublers for wavelength conversion, high-coherence short-wavelength sources for applications in quantum technologies and spectroscopy, and flexible visible light sources with tunable characteristics through cascaded processes. We will also show how it unlocks monolithic linear electro-optic modulation. This approach opens new directions for silicon nitride integrated photonics, enabling unprecedented functionality while maintaining compatibility with existing fabrication infrastructure.
Bio
Prof. Camille-Sophie Brès is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Electrical Engineering within the School of Engineering of EPFL and head of the Photonics System Laboratory (PHOSL) and the director of the doctoral program in Photonics (EDPO). She received a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) in 2002, and the PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Princeton University in 2007. She joined EPFL after a postdoc at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Her research interests lie on inducing, leveraging and enhancing nonlinear processes in waveguides for the optimization of light manipulation, exploiting the unique properties of various material platforms (SiN, AlN, TFLN, SiC ...) combined with advanced device engineering. Prof. Brès received the Early Career Woman in Engineering Award in 2016. She is the recipient of ERC StG, CoG, AdG and PoC. She is a senior member of the IEEE and SPIE, and a fellow of OPTICA.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- Prof. Vivek Subramanian, IEM Director