Compact silicon photonic interleaver based on a self-coupled optical waveguide.

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Integrated Optics
• Optical Communications

Background:

• On-chip optical interleavers are crucial for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems.
• Conventional designs, like ring-assisted Mach-Zehnder interferometers, face limitations in footprint and performance.
• There is a need for compact, high-performance on-chip interleaver solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel on-chip silicon photonic interleaver.
• To leverage self-coupled optical waveguides (SCOWs) for improved interleaver performance.
• To achieve a compact footprint and high extinction ratio in silicon photonic interleavers.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis of the SCOW interleaver's operation principle.
• Fabrication of the designed device on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer using standard CMOS-compatible processes.
• Experimental characterization of the device's performance across the C-band.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of a multistage SCOW resonator enabling high-order filtering.
• Achieved a 20 dB extinction ratio and approximately 8 dB insertion loss.
• Performance maintained across the entire C-band without thermo-optic tuning.
• Verified high fabrication tolerance of the SCOW interleaver.

Conclusions:

• The proposed SCOW-based silicon photonic interleaver is effective and offers significant advantages.
• The device provides a compact footprint and high extinction ratio, surpassing conventional methods.
• SCOW technology presents a promising solution for advanced integrated photonic applications.