Freestanding, Micromachined, Multimode Silicon Optical Waveguides at lambda = 1.3 mum for Microelectromechanical...

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)

Background:

• Optical waveguides are crucial components in photonic integrated circuits.
• Integration of optical functionalities with micro-scale mechanical systems presents unique challenges and opportunities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate freestanding, multimode optical channel waveguides fabricated using silicon micromachining.
• To evaluate the optical performance, specifically insertion loss, of these novel waveguide structures.
• To explore the potential of these waveguides for integration with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of channel waveguides using standard microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
• Characterization of optical losses for waveguides with different surrounding structures (air-silicon-air and SiO(2)-silicon-SiO(2)).

Main Results:

• Successful demonstration of freestanding, multimode optical channel waveguides in silicon.
• Measured optical losses of 0.57-0.80 dB/cm for air-silicon-air structures.
• Measured optical losses of 1.12-1.52 dB/cm for SiO(2)-silicon-SiO(2) structures.

Conclusions:

• Freestanding silicon waveguides offer low optical losses, particularly in an air-silicon-air configuration.
• The MEMS-based fabrication is compatible with existing microfabrication processes.
• These waveguides are promising for integration into MEMS platforms, enabling enhanced optical coupling and novel optomechanical devices.