Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9785821 | Optics Communications | 2005 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
A novel design of multimode interference (MMI) device is proposed for photonic integrated circuits fabricated in low index contrast materials. In this design, deeply etched air trenches are used to define the boundaries of the multimode section to achieve strong lateral confinement. This results in superior imaging quality and therefore lower loss and imbalance, which can only be achieved in strongly guiding MMIs. However, the access waveguides remain weakly guiding, which is essential for low loss fibre connection. We demonstrate the merit of the design in 1Â ÃÂ 4 MMI power splitters. By introducing air trenches, loss decreases from 0.45 to 0.053Â dB and imbalance decreases from 0.15 to 0.058Â dB for TE polarization. For TM polarization, loss decreases from 0.46 to 0.003Â dB and imbalance decreases from 0.16 to 0.067Â dB.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Authors
Christopher J. Kaalund, Zhe Jin,