Experimental demonstration of a silicon-on-insulator high-performance double microring filter using MZI-based...

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Integrated Optics
• Silicon Photonics

Background:

• Microring resonators are key components in optical communication systems.
• Efficient coupling mechanisms are crucial for device performance.
• Silicon photonics offers a scalable platform for integrated optical devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally demonstrate a novel double microring resonator design in silicon.
• To achieve high performance metrics meeting commercial standards for optical filters.
• To utilize Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based coupling for enhanced device functionality.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a double microring resonator on a silicon platform.
• Implementation of Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based coupling.
• Experimental characterization of optical performance metrics including ripple, channel isolation, and free spectral range.

Main Results:

• Achieved a low ripple of 0.5 dB.
• Demonstrated adjacent channel isolation of at least 41.0 dB and nonadjacent channel isolation of at least 38.6 dB.
• Obtained interstitial peak suppression of at least 37.5 dB and an express channel isolation of 10.0 dB.
• Measured a free spectral range exceeding the C-band span (37.23 nm).

Conclusions:

• The demonstrated silicon double microring resonator effectively meets key commercial specifications.
• The Mach-Zehnder interferometer coupling approach enables high-performance optical filtering.
• This device represents a significant advancement for integrated silicon photonic devices in optical networks.