Subwavelength and broadband on-chip mode splitting with shifted junctions

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Optical Engineering
• Integrated Optics

Background:

• Mode splitters are crucial components in photonic integrated circuits.
• Existing devices often suffer from narrow bandwidth or high losses.
• Efficiently splitting light into multiple modes is essential for advanced optical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a novel sub-wavelength on-chip mode splitter.
• To achieve broadband operation with minimal optical losses.
• To ensure temporal and phase synchronization of output modes.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a shifted junction between single-mode and multimode waveguides.
• Careful selection of device parameters to control mode splitting.
• Experimental characterization of device performance, including losses and bandwidth.

Main Results:

• Fabrication of a sub-wavelength on-chip mode splitter.
• Achieved low insertion and reflection losses of approximately 0.4 dB.
• Demonstrated broadband operation exceeding 200 nm with less than 0.5 dB splitting variation.
• Ensured temporal and phase synchronization of the split modes.

Conclusions:

• The developed mode splitter offers efficient, broadband, and synchronized light splitting.
• This technology has potential applications in multimode photonics and traditional single-mode photonics.
• The device's performance highlights a promising approach for integrated optical components.