Uncovering dispersion properties in semiconductor waveguides to study photon-pair generation.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Quantum Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Ridge Bragg-reflection waveguides are key components for nonlinear optical processes.
• Efficient parametric down-conversion (PDC) requires precise control over phase-matching conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dispersion properties of ridge Bragg-reflection waveguides.
• To deduce their phase-matching characteristics for parametric down-conversion (PDC) applications.
• To provide a simple spectral domain approach for determining PDC process parameters.

Main Methods:

• Determining group refractive indices of interacting modes using Fabry-Perot experiments.
• Measuring spectra of emitted PDC photons to access group index dispersion.
• Analyzing dispersion properties in two distinct wavelength regions.

Main Results:

• Successfully determined group refractive indices and group index dispersion.
• Established a straightforward method for characterizing phase-matching in the spectral domain.
• Gained insights into PDC process parameters relevant for waveguide design.

Conclusions:

• The study offers a simple, spectral approach to characterize phase-matching in Bragg-reflection waveguides.
• Results provide crucial feedback for designing efficient broadband PDC sources.
• This method simplifies the estimation of phase-matching bandwidth for optical sources.