Phase customization in photonic integrated circuits with trimmed waveguides.

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Integrated Optics
• Waveguide Technology

Background:

• Accurate photon phase control is crucial for the scalability and stability of photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
• Existing methods for phase control can be complex or introduce significant losses.
• On-chip solutions are needed for precise and stable phase management in advanced PICs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel on-chip static phase control method.
• To achieve precise optical phase modulation with low loss.
• To enable customizable phase control for large-scale 3D-path PICs.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of a modified line adjacent to a standard waveguide.
• Utilizing a lower-energy laser to control the modified line's properties.
• Adjusting laser energy, position, and length of the modified line for phase tuning.
• Implementation in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer setup.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated precise optical phase control with a resolution of λ/70.
• Achieved customizable phase modulation from 0 to 2π.
• Maintained low optical loss during phase modulation.
• Verified the method's ability to control phase without altering the waveguide's spatial path.

Conclusions:

• The proposed static phase control method offers high-precision phase customization for PICs.
• This technique addresses phase error correction challenges in large-scale 3D-path PICs.
• It is expected to significantly improve the expandability and stability of photonic integrated circuits.