Echelle grating silicon multi/demultiplexers with single-reflection total internal reflectors.

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Integrated Optics
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Echelle gratings are crucial components in optical systems for wavelength separation.
• Existing designs using retro-reflector total internal reflectors (TIRs) involve double reflections, potentially increasing loss.
• Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology offers advantages for integrated photonic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel 8-channel demultiplexer based on an Echelle grating.
• To demonstrate improved performance using a single-reflection TIR Echelle grating.
• To characterize the device's optical performance parameters.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an 8-channel demultiplexer on a silicon-on-insulator platform.
• Design incorporating a single-reflection total internal reflector (TIR) Echelle grating.
• Optical characterization including insertion loss, crosstalk, and channel spacing measurements.

Main Results:

• The device exhibits an average insertion loss of 2.4 dB across the 1520-1570 nm wavelength range.
• Adjacent channel crosstalk was measured between 15-18 dB.
• The channel spacing was determined to be 11.9 nm.

Conclusions:

• The developed SOI Echelle grating demultiplexer with a single-reflection TIR offers efficient wavelength demultiplexing.
• The device demonstrates competitive performance metrics for integrated optical systems.
• The novel TIR design presents a promising alternative for future photonic integrated circuits.