• Frontiers of Optoelectronics
  • Vol. 15, Issue 1, 12200 (2022)
Zihan Tao1, Bo Wang1, Bowen Bai1, Ruixuan Chen1, Haowen Shu1, Xuguang Zhang1, and Xingjun Wang1、2、3、4、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, School of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
  • 2Frontier Science Center for Nano-Optoelectronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
  • 3Peking University Yangtze Delta Institute of Optoelectronics, Nantong 226010, China
  • 4Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
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    DOI: 10.1007/s12200-022-00008-5 Cite this Article
    Zihan Tao, Bo Wang, Bowen Bai, Ruixuan Chen, Haowen Shu, Xuguang Zhang, Xingjun Wang. An ultra-compact polarization-insensitive slot-strip mode converter[J]. Frontiers of Optoelectronics, 2022, 15(1): 12200 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Integrated waveguides with slot structures have attracted increasing attention due to their advantages of tight mode confinement and strong light-matter interaction. Although extensively studied, the issue of mode mismatch with other strip waveguide-based optical devices is a huge challenge that prevents integrated waveguides from being widely utilized in largescale photonic-based circuits. In this paper, we demonstrate an ultra-compact low-loss slot-strip converter with polarization insensitivity based on the multimode interference (MMI) effect. Sleek sinusoidal profiles are adopted to allow for smooth connection between the slot and strip waveguide, resulting reflection reduction. By manipulating the MMI effect with structure optimization, the self-imaging positions of the TE0 and TM0 modes are aligned with minimized footprint, leading to low-loss transmission for both polarizations. The measurement results show that high coupling efficiencies of -0.40 and -0.64 dB are achieved for TE0 and TM0 polarizations, respectively. The device has dimensions as small as 1.1 μm × 1.2 μm and composed of factory-available structures. The above characteristics of our proposed compact slot-strip converter makes it a promising device for future deployment in multi-functional integrated photonics systems.
    Zihan Tao, Bo Wang, Bowen Bai, Ruixuan Chen, Haowen Shu, Xuguang Zhang, Xingjun Wang. An ultra-compact polarization-insensitive slot-strip mode converter[J]. Frontiers of Optoelectronics, 2022, 15(1): 12200
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