Electrical control of parametric processes in silicon waveguides.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Materials Science
• Integrated Optics
• Nonlinear Optics

Background:

• Phase mismatch is a critical parameter in nonlinear optical processes like wavelength conversion.
• Fabrication imperfections in integrated waveguides often lead to uncontrolled phase mismatch.
• Precise control over phase matching is essential for efficient optical signal processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate electrical tuning of phase mismatch in silicon wavelength converters.
• To introduce a method for active dispersion engineering in integrated photonic devices.
• To enable dynamic control over nonlinear optical parametric processes.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a thin-film piezoelectric transducer onto silicon waveguides.
• Utilizing the transducer to induce and control birefringence.
• Applying electrical signals to tune the induced birefringence and thus the phase mismatch.

Main Results:

• Successful electrical tuning of phase mismatch in silicon wavelength converters.
• Demonstration of dispersion engineering through active birefringence control.
• Compensation for phase mismatch originating from fabrication errors.

Conclusions:

• The developed technology offers a viable solution for compensating phase mismatch in integrated waveguides.
• This approach allows for dynamic, electronic control of the relative dispersion between optical waves.
• The findings pave the way for electronically controlled optical parametric processes in silicon photonics.