Ultra-low loss waveguide platform in silicon photonics

Arijit Bera; Yisbel Marin; Mikko Harjanne; Matteo Cherchi; Timo Aalto

doi:10.1117/12.2610022

5 March 2022 Ultra-low loss waveguide platform in silicon photonics

Arijit Bera, Yisbel Marin, Mikko Harjanne, Matteo Cherchi, Timo Aalto

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12006, Silicon Photonics XVII; 1200603 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2610022
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2022, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Silicon photonics is the most promising technology for applications ranging from large-bandwidth, low power consumption datacom transceivers, to wearable health monitoring devices, or optical data-bus for quantum processors. To bring silicon PIC based products to the market, ultra-low loss waveguides would be preferred. In the conventional submicron silicon platforms, higher propagation loss (in the order of ~1 dB/cm) induced by the roughness of the etched sidewalls, as well as higher fiber-to-waveguide coupling loss due to its sub-micron dimensions impose challenges for its deployment in many products. VTT’s thick-SOI technology offers a promising alternative, owing to its lower propagation loss (~0.1 dB/cm), reduced polarization sensitivity, and capacity to handle higher optical power without exciting nonlinear losses. Its micron-scale cross-section enables efficient edge coupling. Exploiting its ultra-low loss, we have demonstrated unprecedented level of integration such as, a 40-channel array waveguide grating (AWG) based mux/de-mux, or a Faraday rotator based on silicon spirals, without employing any magneto-optic material. Now we reduced the propagation loss further, down to record-low 4 dB/m, by controlled annealing of waveguides in 100% pure H2 environment. In our optimized, MPW-compatible annealing process, the atomic mobility of Si smoothens the scallops from etching, without causing any structural deformation of the waveguides. This substantially reduced loss enabled us to develop ultra-high Q ring resonators on our thick-SOI platform, as well as sidewall smoothening for the active components, thereby making our platform a bedrock for the emerging applications such as, quantum computing, biosensors, and 3D imaging.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Arijit Bera, Yisbel Marin, Mikko Harjanne, Matteo Cherchi, and Timo Aalto "Ultra-low loss waveguide platform in silicon photonics", Proc. SPIE 12006, Silicon Photonics XVII, 1200603 (5 March 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2610022

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