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Ultracompact photonic coupling splitters twisted by PTT nanowires
Xiaobo Xing1, Heng Zhu, Yuqing Wang
1State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
Nano Letters
|August 16, 2008
Summary
Researchers developed ultracompact photonic coupling splitters using twisted polymer nanowires. These devices offer tunable splitting ratios and low loss, ideal for high-density photonic integrated circuits and nanonetworks.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) require compact and efficient optical components.
- Developing novel methods for fabricating multi-port optical splitters is crucial for advancing nanonetworks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report on the fabrication and characterization of ultracompact photonic coupling splitters.
- To demonstrate the tunability of splitter properties through controlled geometry.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of flexible polymer nanowires from poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) using a one-step drawing method.
- Assembly of multi-input/output port splitters by twisting these polymer nanowires.
- Experimental characterization of splitter performance at various wavelengths and input branches.
Main Results:
- The developed photonic splitters exhibit properties dependent on operation wavelength and input signal branch.
- Splitting ratios are tunable by adjusting the input/output branching angle.
- Achieved excess loss is below 1 dB, with intrinsic loss below 0.4 dB.
Conclusions:
- Twisted polymer nanowire photonic splitters are effective ultracompact devices.
- The demonstrated twisting technology is versatile for creating other wire-based photonic devices.
- These splitters are highly suitable for high-density PICs and nanonetworks.
