Ultra-broadband on-chip power splitters for arbitrary ratios on silicon-on-insulator

Area of Science:

• Integrated optics
• Silicon photonics
• Waveguide devices

Background:

• On-chip optical power splitters are crucial components in photonic integrated circuits.
• Existing devices often face limitations in bandwidth, arbitrary splitting ratios, and footprint.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate novel on-chip power splitters with arbitrary splitting ratios.
• To engineer devices for high performance on a monolithic silicon photonic platform.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing adiabatic rib waveguides and adiabatic directional couplers.
• Engineering a trapezoid structure in the longitudinal direction of the mode evolution region.
• Fabrication and characterization on a silicon photonic platform.

Main Results:

• Achieved over 150 nm bandwidth for arbitrary splitting ratios (50:50, 70:30, 90:10).
• Minimized mode evolution footprint to below 79 µm.
• Demonstrated low insertion loss of less than 0.22 dB.

Conclusions:

• The proposed adiabatic rib waveguide power splitters offer versatile and high-performance solutions.
• These devices are suitable for arbitrary splitting ratios and wide bandwidth applications.
• The technology holds promise for advancing high-density photonic integrated circuits.