Broadband 2 × 2 multimode interference coupler for mid-infrared wavelengths.

Beam splitters are core components of photonic integrated circuits and are often implemented with multimode interference couplers. While these devices offer high performance, their operational bandwidth is still restrictive for sensing applications in the mid-infrared wavelength range. Here we experimentally demonstrate a subwavelength-structured 2×2 multimode interference coupler with high performance in the 3.

Suspended germanium waveguides with subwavelength-grating metamaterial cladding for the mid-infrared band.

In recent years, sensing and communication applications have fueled important developments of group-IV photonics in the mid-infrared band. In the long-wave range, most platforms are based on germanium, which is transparent up to ∼15-µm wavelength. However, those platforms are limited by the intrinsic losses of complementary materials or require complex fabrication processes.

Germanium-on-silicon waveguides operating at mid-infrared wavelengths up to 8.5 μm.

We report transmission measurements of germanium on silicon waveguides in the 7.5-8.5 μm wavelength range, with a minimum propagation loss of 2.

Silicon ring resonator-coupled Mach-Zehnder interferometers for the Fano resonance in the mid-IR.

We present ring resonator (RR)-coupled Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) based on silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides, operating around the mid-IR wavelength of 3.8 μm. A number of different photonic integrated devices have been designed and fabricated experimentally to obtain the asymmetric Fano resonances in the mid-IR.

Ultra-compact MMI-based beam splitter demultiplexer for the NIR/MIR wavelengths of 1.55 μm and 2 μm.

Based on restricted interferences mechanism in a 1x2 MMI beam splitter, we theoretically investigate and experimentally demonstrate an ultra-compact MMI-based demultiplexer for the NIR/MIR wavelengths of 1.55 μm and 2 μm. The device is fabricated on 340 nm SOI platform, with a footprint of 293x6 μm.

Germanium-on-silicon mid-infrared grating couplers with low-reflectivity inverse taper excitation.

A broad transparency range of its constituent materials and compatibility with standard fabrication processes make germanium-on-silicon (Ge-on-Si) an excellent platform for the realization of mid-infrared photonic circuits. However, the comparatively large Ge waveguide thickness and its moderate refractive index contrast with the Si substrate hinder the implementation of efficient fiber-chip grating couplers. We report for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a single-etch Ge-on-Si grating coupler with an inversely tapered access stage, operating at a 3.

Germanium-on-silicon Vernier-effect photonic microcavities for the mid-infrared.

We present Vernier-effect photonic microcavities based on a germanium-on-silicon technology platform, operating around the mid-infrared wavelength of 3.8 μm. Cascaded racetrack resonators have been designed to operate in the second regime of the Vernier effect, and typical Vernier comb-like spectra have been successfully demonstrated with insertion losses of ∼5  dB, maximum extinction ratios of ∼23  dB, and loaded quality factors higher than 5000.

Two-photon absorption and all-optical modulation in germanium-on-silicon waveguides for the mid-infrared.

The nonlinear absorption properties of a germanium-on-silicon waveguide have been characterized across the two-photon absorption (TPA) transmission window. The results show that the TPA parameters in germanium waveguides are much stronger than the peak values in silicon, in good agreement with selected measurements conducted in bulk materials. Exploiting the large nonlinear absorption near the bandedge, efficient all-optical modulation is achieved with a modulation depth of ∼8  dB and a response time <5  ps.

Mid-infrared all-optical modulation in low-loss germanium-on-silicon waveguides.

All-optical modulation has been demonstrated in a germanium-on-silicon rib waveguide over the mid-infrared wavelength range of 2-3 μm using a free-carrier absorption scheme. Transmission measurements have shown the waveguides to have low propagation losses that are relatively independent of wavelength out to 3.8 μm, indicating that the modulation could be extended further into the mid-infrared region for applications in sensing and spectroscopy.

Cascade-coupled racetrack resonators based on the Vernier effect in the mid-infrared.

In this paper we report the experimental demonstration of racetrack resonators in silicon-on-insulator technology platform operating in the mid-infrared wavelength range of 3.7-3.8 μm.