A high-resolution silicon-on-insulator arrayed waveguide grating microspectrometer with sub-micrometer aperture...

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Spectrometry
• Integrated Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Microspectrometers are crucial for spectral analysis in various fields.
• Existing devices often face limitations in channel density, resolution, or size.
• Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platforms offer advantages for integrated photonic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a high-resolution, high-channel-density arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) microspectrometer.
• To achieve precise spectral measurements on a compact SOI platform.
• To optimize waveguide design for improved spectral resolution and reduced crosstalk.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 50-channel AWG microspectrometer on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform.
• Utilizing high aspect ratio waveguide apertures (0.6 µm x 1.5 µm) for light injection and spectral channel separation.
• Characterization of spectral resolution, channel spacing, crosstalk, and insertion loss.

Main Results:

• A 50-channel microspectrometer with 0.2 nm channel spacing was successfully demonstrated.
• The device achieved a measured crosstalk of <-10 dB.
• The 3 dB channel bandwidth was measured at 0.15 nm, with an insertion loss of -17 dB at 1.545 µm.

Conclusions:

• The developed SOI-based AWG microspectrometer offers high channel density and spectral resolution in a compact form factor.
• The optimized waveguide design effectively minimizes crosstalk and enhances spectral performance.
• This technology holds promise for advanced spectroscopic applications requiring miniaturization and high precision.