Fabrication of 1 × N integrated power splitters with arbitrary power ratio for single and multimode photonics
Author:
Haines Jack1ORCID, Vitali Valerio12, Bottrill Kyle1, Naik Pooja Uday1ORCID, Gandolfi Marco345ORCID, De Angelis Costantino345ORCID, Franz Yohann1, Lacava Cosimo2ORCID, Petropoulos Periklis1, Guasoni Massimiliano1ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Optoelectronics Research Centre , University of Southampton , Southampton , England 2. Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering , University of Pavia , Pavia , Italy 3. Department of Information Engineering , University of Brescia , Brescia , Italy 4. Istituto Nazionale di Ottica – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Via Branze 45 , Brescia , 25123 , Italy 5. Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni (CNIT) , Viale G.P. Usberti 181/A, 43124 Parma , Italy
Abstract
Abstract
Compact power splitters are essential components in integrated optics. While 1 × 2 power splitters with uniform splitting are widely used, a 1 × N splitter with arbitrary number N of ports and arbitrary splitting ratio is yet to be demonstrated. In this work we address this problem. We fabricate and characterise 1 × N integrated power splitters that provide fully arbitrary splitting ratios. The core of our design is represented by an array of N non-equally spaced waveguides fabricated on a silicon nitride-on-insulator wafer. Any arbitrary 1 × N splitting ratio can be achieved by properly setting the array length and the dimension of the (N–1) nano-gaps between the adjacent waveguides. Most importantly, at variance with state-of-the-art solutions, our devices can be designed for arbitrary splitting of higher-order modes. In this manuscript we provide the first experimental demonstration of 1 × N arbitrary splitting ratio for both the fundamental modes (TE00 and TM00) and the TE01 mode, here up to N = 5 ports. With a footprint of 20 μm2/port, a bandwidth up to 70 nm and an excess losses <0.2 dB, our devices set a new benchmark for optical power splitters in both standard single-mode photonics as well as in the emerging integrated multimode photonics technology, and may therefore boost key photonic applications, from optimal power distribution and equalization up to signal processing operations.
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Subject
Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials,Biotechnology
Reference31 articles.
1. A. Zanzi, A. Brimont, A. Griol, P. Sanchis, and J. Marti, “Compact and low-loss asymmetrical multimode interference splitter for power monitoring applications,” Opt. Lett., vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 227–229, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1364/ol.41.000227. 2. J. Sun, E. Timurdogan, A. Yaacobi, E. S. Hosseini, and M. R. Watts, “Large-scale nanophotonic phased array,” Nature, vol. 493, no. 7431, pp. 195–199, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11727. 3. T. Spuesens, S. Pathak, M. Vanslembrouck, P. Dumon, and W. Bogaerts, “Grating couplers with an integrated power splitter for high-intensity optical power distribution,” IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett., vol. 28, no. 11, pp. 1173–1176, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1109/lpt.2016.2533666. 4. A. Novack, M. A. Streshinsky, Y. Ma, and M. J. Hochberg, “Variable power splitter for equalizing output power,” US Patent App. 14/963,205, 2016. 5. P. Chanclou, A. Cui, F. Geilhardt, H. Nakamura, and D. Nesset, “Network operator requirements for the next generation of optical access networks,” IEEE Network, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 8–14, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1109/mnet.2012.6172269.
|
|