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Electro-optical tunable time delay and advance in silicon microring resonators
Xianshu Luo1, Hui Chen, Andrew W Poon
1Photonic Device Laboratory, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
Optics Letters
|September 3, 2010
Summary
This study shows tunable time delay and advance in silicon microring filters using a p-i-n diode. Researchers achieved precise control over signal timing with low power consumption, advancing optical signal processing.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Optical Engineering
- Integrated Optics
- Semiconductor Devices
Background:
- Precise control over optical signal timing is crucial for advanced communication systems.
- Silicon microring resonators offer a compact platform for manipulating light signals.
- Integrating active components like diodes is key to achieving tunable optical functionalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate electro-optical tunability of time delay and advance in a silicon microring resonator notch filter.
- To investigate the effect of coupling regimes on time delay and advance using free-carrier dispersion.
- To analyze the performance metrics including bandwidth and power consumption for practical applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a silicon microring resonator notch filter integrated with a lateral p-i-n diode.
- Tuning of coupling regimes (over- to under-coupling) via carrier-injection-induced free-carrier dispersion.
- Measurement of transmission spectra and time delay/advance; modeling using the transfer-matrix method.
Main Results:
- Achieved maximum time delay and advance of approximately -95 ps and 96 ps, respectively, near critical coupling.
- Observed bandwidths of approximately 3.5 GHz and 3 GHz for delay and advance, respectively.
- Demonstrated tunability with low DC power consumption (around 1 mW) and validated with theoretical models.
Conclusions:
- The integrated silicon microring resonator with a p-i-n diode effectively provides electro-optical tunable time delay and advance.
- The free-carrier dispersion mechanism allows for precise control over signal timing by adjusting coupling regimes.
- This device shows promise for applications in optical signal processing and reconfigurable optical networks.
