Low-loss asymmetric strip-loaded slot waveguides in silicon-on-insulator

We report on low-loss asymmetric strip-loaded slot waveguides in silicon-on-insulator fabricated with 248 nm photolithography. Waveguide losses were 2 dB/cm or less at wavelengths near 1550 nm. A 40 nm strip-loading allows low-resistance electrical contact to be made to the two slot arms. The asymmetric design suppresses the TE1 mode while increasing the wavelength range for which the TE0 mode guides. This type of waveguide is suitable for building low insertion-loss, high-bandwidth, low drive-voltage modulators, when coated with an electro-optic polymer cladding.

[1]  Larry R. Dalton,et al.  Nonlinear polymer-clad silicon slot waveguide modulator with a half wave voltage of 0.25 V , 2008 .

[2]  Maryse Fournier,et al.  Low-loss strip-loaded slot waveguides in silicon-on-insulator. , 2010, Optics express.

[3]  Thomas J. Johnson,et al.  Measuring the role of surface chemistry in silicon microphotonics , 2006 .

[4]  Qianfan Xu,et al.  Guiding and confining light in void nanostructure. , 2004, Optics letters.

[5]  P Sullivan,et al.  Demonstration of a low V pi L modulator with GHz bandwidth based on electro-optic polymer-clad silicon slot waveguides. , 2010, Optics express.

[6]  Jingdong Luo,et al.  Rational molecular design and supramolecular assembly of highly efficient organic electro-optic materials , 2009 .

[7]  L. Kimerling,et al.  Effect of size and roughness on light transmission in a Si/SiO2 waveguide: Experiments and model , 2000 .

[8]  Michael Hochberg,et al.  Design and Fabrication of Segmented, Slotted Waveguides for Electro-Optic Modulation , 2007 .

[9]  T. Krauss,et al.  An out-of-plane grating coupler for efficient butt-coupling between compact planar waveguides and single-mode fibers , 2002 .

[10]  Wolfgang Freude,et al.  High-speed low-voltage electro-optic modulator with a polymer-infiltrated silicon photonic crystal waveguide. , 2008, Optics express.

[11]  William H. Press,et al.  The Art of Scientific Computing Second Edition , 1998 .

[12]  Michael Hochberg,et al.  Design of transmission line driven slot waveguide Mach-Zehnder interferometers and application to analog optical links. , 2010, Optics express.

[13]  R. Soref,et al.  Electrooptical effects in silicon , 1987 .

[14]  Mark C. Jurich,et al.  Absorption and scattering in nonlinear optical polymeric systems , 1993 .

[15]  David J. Thomson,et al.  Silicon optical modulators , 2010 .

[16]  Larry Dalton,et al.  Towards a millivolt optical modulator with nano-slot waveguides. , 2007, Optics express.

[17]  M. Henry.  ICP Etching of Silicon for Micro and Nanoscale Devices , 2010 .