Fabrication and analysis of 2x2 thermo-optic SOI waveguide switch with low power consumption and fast response by anisotropy chemical etching

A low power consumption 2 x 2 thermo-optic switch with fast response was fabricated on silicon-on-insulator by anisotropy chemical etching. Blocking trenches were etched on both sides of the phase-shifting arms to shorten device length and reduce power consumption. Thin top cladding layer was grown to reduce power consumption and switching time. The device showed good characteristics, including a low switching power of 145 mW and a fast switching speed of 8 +/- 1 mus, respectively. Two-dimensional finite element method was applied to simulate temperature field in the phase-shifting arm instead of conventional one-dimensional method. According to the simulated result, a new two-dimensional index distribution of phase-shifting arm was determined. Consequently finite-difference beam propagation method was employed to simulate the light propagation in the switch, and calculate the power consumption as well as the switching speed. The experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical estimations. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A method for analyzing the coupling of 3-D tapered rib waveguides with fibers

The fields in 3-dimensional tapered waveguides are unstable compared with the fields in the straight waveguides. In the case of waveguide-to-fiber coupling and fiber-to-waveguide coupling, a sequence of short straight waveguides has been modeled to approximate the 3-dimensional tapered waveguide; and the unstable incident and reflected fields, as well as their derivatives, were determined by the beam propagation method(BPM). Then free space radiation mode(FSRM) was employed to calculate the reflected and transmitted powers. Analysis results of the coupling of fiber with silicon-on-insulator(SOI) tapered rib waveguides showed the feasibility of the method.

New finite-difference scheme for simulations of step-index waveguides with tilt interfaces

A new finite-difference scheme is presented for the second derivative of a semivectorial field in a step-index optical waveguide with tilt interfaces. The present scheme provides an accurate description of the tilt interface of the nonrectangular structure. Comparison with previously presented formulas shows the effectiveness of the present scheme.

Size tolerance analysis of a 4X4 tapered multimode interference coupler in a silicon-on-insulator structure

Size tolerance of a 4X4 general interference tapered multimode interference (MMI) coupler in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure is investigated by means of a 2-D finite difference beam propagation method (2D-FDBPM), together with an effective refractive index method (EIM). The results show that the tapered multimode interference coupler exhibits relatively larger size tolerance when light is launched from the edgeport than from midport, though it has much better output power uniformity when light is launched from midport. Besides that, it can reduce the device length greatly. The 4X4 general interference tapered MMI coupler has a slightly larger size tolerance compared with a conventional straight multimode interference coupler. (C) 2003 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Multimode-interference-type thermo-optic variable optical attenuator with a response frequency of 10 kHz

A thermo-optic variable optical attenuator based on a multimode interference coupler principle is fabricated. The propagation loss of the fabricated device is 1.6 to 3.8 dB at the wavelength range 1510 to 1610 nm, which is very near the calculated value (1.2 dB) by the finite difference beam propagation method. The maximum power consumption is 363 mW and the dynamic attenuation range is 0 to 26 dB. The response frequency of the fabricated attenuator is about 10 kHz. (C) 2003 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Simulation and fabrication of thermo-optic variable optical attenuators based on multimode interference coupler

A type of thermo-optic variable optical attenuator based on multimode interference coupler is proposed. The optical field propagation properties of the devices are simulated using finite difference beam propagation method. The propagation loss of the fabricated device is 2-4.2 dB at the wavelength range 1510-1610 nm. The total power consumption is 370 mW and the maximum attenuation is more than 25 dB, which almost can meet the requirements of optical fiber communication systems.

Superluminescent diode monolithically integrated with novel Y-branch by bundle integrated waveguide for fiber optic gyroscope - art. no. 68380D

We have developed a novel InP-based, ridge-waveguide photonic integrated circuit (PIC), which consists of a 1.1-um wavelength Y-branch optical waveguide with low loss and improved far field pattern and a 1.3-um wavelength strained InGaAsP-InP multiple quantum-well superluminescent diode, with bundle integrated guide (BIG) as the scheme for monolithic integration. The simulations of BIG and Y-branches show low losses and improved far-field patterns, based on the beam propagation method (BPM). The amplified spontaneous emission of the device is up to 10 mW at 120 mA with no threshold and saturation. Spectral characteristics of about 30 nm width and less than I dB modulation are achieved using the built-in anti-lasing ability of Y-branch. The beam divergence angles in horizontal and vertical directions are optimized to as small as 12 degrees x8 degrees, resulting in good fiber coupling. The compactness, simplicity in fabrication, good superluminescent performance, low transmission loss and estimated low coupling loss prove the BIG and Y-branch method to be a feasible way for integration and make the photonic integrated circuit of Y-branch and superluminescent diode an promising candidate for transmitter and transceiver used in fiber optic gyroscope.

Yb3+-doped 200 mu m diameter core, gain guided index-antiguided fiber

The lasing in an end-pumped gain guided index-antiguided (GG-IAG) Yb3+-doped silicate glass fiber with a 200 mu m diameter core is demonstrated. Laser beams with similar beam propagation factors M (2) and mode field diameters W (0) (> 160 mu m) were observed at the output end of the GG-IAG fibers under different pump powers, which indicated that single mode behavior and excellent beam quality were achieved during propagation. Furthermore, the laser amplifier characteristics in the present Yb3+-doped GG-IAG fiber were also evaluated.

A high-efficiency high-power evanescently coupled UTC-photodiode

The effects of the multimode diluted waveguide on quantum efficiency and saturation behavior of the evanescently coupled uni-traveling carrier(UTC)photodiode structures are reported. Two kinds of evanescently coupled uni-traveling carrier photodiodes(EC-UTC-PD)were designed and characterized: one is a conventional EC-UTC-PD structure with a multimode diluted waveguide integrated with a UTC-PD; and the other is a compact EC-UTC-PD structure which fused the multimode diluted waveguide and the UTC-PD structure together. The effect of the absorption behavior of the photodiodes on the efficiency and saturation characteristics of the EC-UTC-PDs is analyzed using 3-D beam propagation method, and the results indicate that both the responsivity and saturation power of the compact EC-UTC-PD structures can be further improved by incorporating an optimized compact multimode diluted waveguide.

A High-Efficiency Fiber-to-Waveguide Coupler with Low Polarization Dependence Using a Diluted Waveguide in InP Substrate with a 1.55μm Wavelength

We propose a fiber-to-waveguide coupler for side-illuminated p-i-n photodiodes to obtain high responsivity and low polarization dependence that is grown on InP substrate and is suitable for surface hybrid integration in low cost modules. The fiber-to-waveguide coupler is based on a diluted waveguide,which is composed of ten periods of undoped 120nm InP/80nm InGaAsP （1.05μm bandgap） multiple layers. Using the semi-vectorial three dimensional beam propagation method （BPM） with the central difference scheme,the coupling efficiency of fiber-to-waveguide under different conditions is simulated and studied,and the optimized conditions for fiber-to-waveguide coupling are obtained. For TE-like and TM-like modes,the calculated maximum coupling efficiency is higher than 94% and 92% ,respectively. The calculated polarization dependence is less than 0. ldB,showing good polarization independence.

Comparison of Loss and Crosstalk Characteristics of SOI Based Intersecting Waveguides with Different Bend Structures

By means of two dimension beam propagation method (2D-BPM) with high order Pade approximation, behaviors of SOI waveguide based bend intersections with variant bending radius are simulated and analized. The result shows that crosstalk of intersections decreases with the increase of bending radius and intersecting angle. Furthermore, loss and crosstalk characteristics of bend intersections formed by sine bend, cosine bend and arc bend are compared. Sine bend based structures are proved that it can present lowest loss and smallest crosstalk properties among the three and may find their wide application in the design of bend intersections and other more complicated photonic devices and circuits.

An Efficient MMI SOI Splitter with Multimode Input/Output Waveguides

A 1×8 multimode interference power splitter with multimode input/output waveguides in SOI material is designed by the beam propagation method and fabricated by the inductive coupled plasma etching technology for use in fiber optics communication systems.The fabricated device exhibits low loss and good coupling uniformity.The excess loss is lower than 0.8dB,and the uniformity is 0.45dB at the wavelength of 1550nm.Moreover,the polarization dependent loss is lower than 0.7dB at 1550nm.The device size is only 2mm×10mm.

Design and numerical analysis for low birefringence silica on silicon waveguides

A new fabrication technology for three-dimensionally buried silica on silicon optical waveguide based on deep etching and thermal oxidation is presented. Using this method, a silicon layer is left at the side of waveguide. The stress distribution and effective refractive index are calculated by using finite element method and finite different beam propagation method, respectively. The results indicate that the stress of silica on silicon optical waveguide fabricated by this method can be matched in parallel and vertical directions and stress birefringence can be effectively reduced due to the side-silicon layer.

Polarization-Insensitive Silica on Silicon Arrayed Waveguide Grating Design

A new technology for fabrication of silica on silicon arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) based on deep etching and thermal oxidation is presented.Using this method,a silicon layer is remained at the side of waveguide.The stress distribution and effective refractive index of waveguide fabricated by this approach are calculated using finite element and finite difference beam propagation method,respectively.The results of these studies indicate that the stress of silica on silicon optical waveguide can be matched in parallel and vertical direction and AWG polarization dependent wavelength (PDλ) can be reduced effectively due to side-silicon layer.

Fabrication of a SOI Based Channel-shifted Multimode Interference Coupler

A silicon-on-insulator based channel-shifted multimode interference coupler is designed and fabricated. A two dimensional beam propagation method is used to analyze the dependence of coupler′s performances on the width and length of the multimode waveguide. The device fabricated has a power shift ratio of 73 and an excess loss of about 2.2 dB. An enhancement of fabrication accuracies could further improve the coupler performances.