Mid- and near-infrared Si waveguides for sensing applications (Conference Presentation)

The large transparency window of silicon (1.1 - 8 μm wavelength range) makes it a promising material for the implementation of on-chip sensors operating over an ultra-wide wavelength range. However, the implementation of the silicon-on-insulator platform is restricted by the absorption of buried oxide layer for wavelengths above 4 μm. Here, we report our advances in development of silicon waveguides for broadband operation extending from near- to mid-infrared wavelengths. We present suspended silicon waveguides that exploit a novel periodic corrugation approach to circumvent the buried oxide absorption problem and provide effective single mode operation simultaneously for near- and mid-infrared wavelengths.